


The Dragon Prince: Second Son

by WaywardWind27



Series: The TDP/VLD InFAMOUS series [1]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon), inFAMOUS: Second Son
Genre: Amaya Rowe as Betty, Azymondias - Freeform, Brokeback Soren, Callum Rowe as Delsin Rowe, Callum as a badass lol, Claudia Brooks as Brook Augustine, Conduit Ezran, Conduit Rayllum, Conduits, Dangerous Stupid and Cool, Dragons, Evil Karma labeled chapters, Ezran Harrow as Eugene Sims, F/M, Good Karma main story, Justice for Runaan, Pervy Callum, Rayla Allen as Abigail "Fetch" Walker, Rayla did nothing wrong, Rayla the Moonshadow Boxer, Soren Foreshadow, Soren Taylor as Reggie Rowe, Soren has a handsome nose, Ugly Suspect Vest, death toll
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2019-03-30
Packaged: 2019-09-29 21:18:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 27
Words: 65,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17211143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaywardWind27/pseuds/WaywardWind27
Summary: DISCLAIMER: I do not own either the Dragon Prince or inFAMOUS: Second SonSeven years ago, a special group of humans and elves known as Conduits emerged - each with the ability to control and even weaponize a unique form of matter. The Department of Unified Protection was formed to hunt down and indefinitely contain all Conduits, now labeled as Bio-Terrorists, to protect the general population. It's been believed that all Bio-Terrorists have been locked away inside the walls of Curden Cay Station. The Department of Unified Protection is being phased out, with the military assuming oversight of the imprisoned Bio-Terrorists.Today is the first time a military transport is guarding a group of three Bio-Terrorists to an army prison in upstate Washington...It will never arrive.





	1. The Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum is the local delinquent of Katolis, Salmon Bay. But when fate transforms him, his life changes forever.

In a small village of humans, a lone boy dropped behind the other side of a fence. He made his way to the roof and then stood in front of a billboard. The boy wore a black vest over a blue hoodie and wore a red scarf around his neck. The shirt he wore under it was mahogany red and his pants were a dark grey. The shoes he wore were a black leather, he had a brown leather strap around his torso that held a book with a brown and red leather cover, and he wore a red beanie that covered his brunette hair. Grabbing a can of spray paint, some tape, and some nearby cardboard, the boy began to do what many would call 'art'. 

Soon the billboard which once held the serious face of the county sheriff was painted over to show a man with a laid-back expression, with a half-eaten donut in one hand and a revolver in the other. The boy stood back and admired his artwork, letting out a low whistle. "Hey, if art is a crime, then just call me...", he said, before cutting himself off at the sound of police sirens. "Ah, crap-baskets.", he thought to himself, as the police truck in question pulled up to the fish cannery the boy was on the roof of. "Okay, Callum. Think, think!", he said to himself, looking out over the bay to the large lodge that his people were staying in. "Okay, party at the Winter Lodge, just gotta get there, mingle a bit, and set up an alibi. I think I'm a criminal mastermind.", he said, stealthily entering and closing the roof hatch.

Dropping down into the cannery, he began to head towards the back exit when his foot hit a stray can and made a sound loud enough to be heard by the two people who would still be in the building. Opening the door to the cafeteria, out stepped a woman with short black hair in an orange and blue dress with a beige vest, with a stapler clutched in her hand and a man a bit younger than her with orange hair in a similar outfit. Both had on a name tag, the woman's reading "Amaya" and the other's reading "Gren". Amaya made motions with her hands that Gren seemed to understand. "Who's out there?", he said, translating Amaya's sign language. Callum unfroze himself and sighed in annoyance in himself for getting caught. "It's just me, guys. And, Aunt Amaya, could you put the stapler down, like seriously?", Callum sheepishly said to the duo. "What are you doing in here? Why aren't you at the get-together at the lodge?", Amaya signed to him. Callum knew he'd been made but still made an effort to get out of trouble. "Um, uhh, yeah, I just wasn't feeling that Katolis spirit tonight. But you look amazing, orange looks really good on you. Seriously.", he said, trying to fast talk her. Callum tried walking away, but Amaya grabbed his arm before he got very far. "What were you doing up on the roof?", Gren said for Amaya. "Nothing, just...", Callum started, trying to look for an excuse. "Were you up to mischief?", Amaya signed to her nephew. Before Callum could come clean, there was a knocking on the door. "Come on, step-prince, I know you're in there, so just come on out. Or I'll call Gren and him and Amaya will be here in five minutes with the keys.", a voice yelled into the building. Callum looked sheepishly at the duo, who did not return the gesture with smiles. "You're up to mischief.", Amaya signed to him. "Ok, well, come on, seriously, what're you gonna do here?", Callum said, trying now to gain sympathy from his aunt. "Well, I have no choice now. He's the cop since I retired three years ago. I have to be back here in five minutes and if you're still here...", Amaya signed to him, before pushing him lightly in the direction of the back door. "Thank, Aunt Amaya.", Callum said softly. "This is the last time.", Gren said for Amaya, which Callum said as well since she had said this thing before. "Now, I have to go back to my office, apparently I'm getting a phone call.", Amaya signed to Callum, before shutting the door behind her and Gren. 

The knocking got louder as the man behind began to lose his patience. "Open the door! That's an order!", he said, the anger in his voice getting more and more apparent. "I can not believe he has nothing better to do.", Callum mumbled to himself as he went out the back door. Looking over the bay, Callum saw the goal of his escape: the Winter Lodge. "Hello, freedom. So great to see you again. Ok, now for the easy part: get to the lodge, and set up an alibi.", he said to himself. Vaulting himself over the railing, Callum made his way down the roof and onto the docks, climbing a nearby silo. He then took a running start and jumped from the silo he was on to the one across. Callum then jumped from the silo there to the docks below, running across in order to get out of sight faster. Shooing some seagulls out of the way, Callum made his way across the broken parts of the boardwalk, jumping across certain sections that had fallen out over the years. Climbing onto the rock face in his way, Callum shimmied his way around the cliff. He then felt his hand touch something slimy and wet. "Awww! Gull crap!", he said, looking at his hand to see it stained white. Dropping onto the rest of the boardwalk, Callum wiped his palm against the rocks, hoping to clean his hand enough so that he could wash his hands later. Coming out onto the beach, Callum could see the lodge from his position. "Nearly there", he thought continuing his getaway. Balancing his way across some rocks and a fallen tree, Callum passed between two rocks that jutted out of the water. Coming to a bunch of small cliffs, Callum saw a way up. Climbing up another fallen tree, he climbed up to some wooden planks that had been nailed into the rock face. Grabbing another rock ledge, he made his way around until he could pull himself up, coming around to another small flock of seagulls. "Shoo, shoo!", he yelled, causing the birds to fly away.  Seeing a massive gap and no other way forward, Callum sprinted and jumped between the two cliffs. "That was close.", he said, moving on. He then climbed up some more planks and began to shimmy his way left, trying not to see where he could potentially fall. "Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down...", he said to himself, trying to stay calm. He pulled himself up as soon as he could and jogged up the porch steps. "And the plan is working perfectly.", he said confidently, moving to open the lodge door. 

And he would've gotten away with it if it hadn't been for that meddling cop. Just as Callum was about to open the door, a man with light brown hair in the back and blonde hair in the front stepped outside. Callum's face of confidence was replaced with shock since he wasn't expecting Soren to be one step ahead of him. "Hey, man, I've been looking like... forever for you. You know, we should probably get inside...", he said, trying to play coy, before Soren turned him around and walked him forward, holding his arm tightly. Clearly, he was not happy about the 'artwork' Callum made of him on the billboard. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is for me to keep arresting you over and over and over again?", Soren said through gritted teeth. Callum shoved his hand away to release his grip. "Maybe you should stop arresting me over and over and over again.", Callum said back, getting into an argument. Soren and his father had basically looked after Callum since his father and mother died in a tragic accident, but Callum did not like having an older brother, especially one like Soren. Soren wanted to do the right thing, and sometimes the right thing was to detain Callum and go through his things to "see what was wrong". This was why Callum did the things he did, even when it got him into deep trouble; he was acting out in an attempt to express himself. "You think this is a joke?", Soren yelled at Callum. "No, I don't...", Callum tried to say, but Soren kept shouting him out. "Is this how you wanna leave your mark on the world, huh? You think this would make your parents proud? 'Misdemeanor vandalism'?", he said, the mention of his parents made Callum glared daggers at the older male. "Listen, man, there's a lot of scary shit in the world and while I'm out there actually trying to assert my talent and cause...", Callum started saying before Soren cut him off again. "You're trying to assert your talent... I mean, what the hell are you even talking about?", the police officer said. "Why do you always do this, Soren? Why won't you just let me be who I am?", Callum yelled. "No, explain it to me! Tell me what big, bad scary shit you're gonna save us from.", Soren yelled back. "If you would listen, I would explain it to you!", Callum yelled. "Really? Because I don't seem to get it!", Soren yelled at the delinquent. "Soren...", Callum said, getting distracted by something. "What?!", Soren yelled again, ready to verbally debate the argument again. "Truck.", Callum said, pointing towards the vehicle barreling up the road. Soren turned to see a military looking vehicle crash right into another car that was parked on the side of the road and then swerving again to hit another. Both cars exploded almost immediately before the truck fell over and skidded to a halt. Two figures emerged from the crash, one of normal height with pure white hair and black horns, and a smaller one with a much fluffier do of brunette hair. Both seemed to be dressed in orange and took off down the road, opposite of where the truck was going.

Both boys were in shock for a bit, but Soren shook it off and started running after them. "I'm going after those two. You stay back, that thing is going to blow.", he said, before running off. "Stay away from the exploding thing, got it.", Callum said. Callum slightly ignored him and looked at the crash from a distance, until he heard a voice. "Can anybody hear me? I need some help.", said a voice coming from the crash. Callum immediately jogged over to help and saw a man trapped under some doors from the back of the truck. He seemed to be African-American if his darker skin tone said anything. He had his brown hair pinned up and was dressed in almost all orange. Callum lifted one of the metal doors off of the guy, allowing him to crawl out. "Holy shit, dude.", he said, surprised at how the man survived the crash. "Thank you. I thought I was going to die.", the man said, still slightly exhausted. "Hey, you okay?", Callum said, concerned for the man's well being. The man in question didn't answer as he saw Soren walk back to the crash. "Aw, cop...", he said, before punching Callum in the face and grabbing him to hold in front of his body like a human shield. Soren drew his pistol and aimed at the criminal. "Hey, let him go!", he said, trying to steady his hands to keep a clean shot on the criminal. "Just let him go and keep your hands where I can see them.", Soren said, trying to talk the man down. "I don't want to hurt anybody. I just want to be gone by the time she gets here.", the man said, making sure that Callum couldn't escape his grasp. "I said let him go, or I will shoot you.", Soren said, making his ultimatum clear. "Soren?", Callum said, being scared for the first time in a good while. The man held out his left arm to the fire emanating from the crash and began absorbing the smoke and embers. "Oh God, no...", Soren said, not believing his eyes. He thought that the government had detained all these guys. "I said, I don't want to hurt anybody!", the man said, putting his hand out to Soren and firing a projectile of some kind at him. The "fireball" missed and Callum went to grab the man's hands to try and get free when... something happened. 

Images flashed in Callum's eyes. A man behind bars, a pair of handcuffs that were picked open, a man running away from spotlights, a man in an orange jumpsuit smiling at a doctor of some kind, someone feeding the man while he was guarded, some weird handcuffs, a man lying on the floor in a heap. That was all he saw before he blacked out. 

Callum awoke to the smell of smoke coming from all around him. He felt a throbbing pain in his head and saw that most of his surroundings were now on fire. "Soren?", he said, unsure of where the officer or the man with the smoke went. "What the hell is going on?", he whispered, wondering how long he was out. "Gotta find Soren.", he said, but as soon as he tried moving forward, his body lurched forward in a cloud of smoke before re-materializing. "What the hell was that? I don't... What the hell?!", Callum exclaimed, unsure of what he just did. His vision somewhat blurry, Callum went to climb over an overturned car when he did the same smoke move again, carrying himself over it. "What is happening to me?! Oh my God, no!", he yelled, not believing that this was happening to him. The next time he moved was not of his own accord. He kept Smoke Dashing repeatedly, heading towards the cliff. Somehow, Callum stopped himself from dashing off the side. "Stop it, stop it, stop it!", he cried, feeling a terrible sensation throughout his body. Where did this come from? How was this happening? "What the hell is going on? What the hell is going on?!", he whispered to himself, losing his grasp on his sense of self. Callum tried getting back on the main road but ended up smoke dashing again. "Oh my god, oh my god!", he said after each one, coming to a stop in front of a fallen tree. "Make it stop!", he cried. "Hey. Hey!", Soren yelled in the distance. Was he still dealing with that other guy? "Soren? Soren, I really need you.", Callum said, starting to panic. He tried to jump over the fallen tree in front of him, but found that he couldn't go over it and if he tried to go around, he might not make it to Soren in time. His body seemed to make up his mind for him and smoke dashed through the tree. Callum ran down the road, which was surrounded by fire on either side. "What the hell is going on?", Callum whispered to himself, hearing Soren shout at someone further beyond. "Soren?", he yelled trying to see through the smoke.

 Dashing through another tree, Callum saw Soren stand off against the criminal. "Final warn-", he said, before being blasted by smoke, causing him to get trapped by a car and another tree fell, blocking Callum off. "No! Soren!", Callum yelled, dashing through the tree to help. "Soren? You okay?", looking to his step-brother, whose foot was trapped under a tree trunk and a car. "Callum, what was that?", Soren asked, seeing Callum dash through the tree to the debris. "I gotta get that thing off you.", Callum said softly, moving to help the officer. "You just-", Soren said, before being cut off. "I gotta get you out!", Callum yelled, fearing for Soren's life. "Okay, okay. Just... just help me push!", Soren conceded, getting ready to pull his foot out from under the tree. Callum pushed the car as hard as he could, and Soren was able to lift the trunk off his leg enough to slide out. Callum was relieved but then energy began building in his hands, glowing with the nearby smoke and embers. "Oh dear god...", Soren said, not believing what he saw. "No, no, no, no!", Callum said through gritted teeth, trying to stop the glowing. A fruitless effort, it seemed, as Callum's hands exploded with the same energy that the man used earlier. The force knocked Callum over and onto the ground. On his hands and knees, Callum was ready to fall into a nervous breakdown, almost in tears. "I can't stop it, man. I can't stop it! Soren, I can't stop it, man!", Callum said, hugging himself to try and calm down. Soren was soon crouched down, embracing him as well in an attempt to calm him. "It's okay. You're okay. Just breathe... breathe. You're alright, you're alright.", he said, consoling him. Callum then realized what this meant, what he was. "I'm one of them, man. I'm one of them!", he said, falling into despair, ready to cry. "No, NO! No, you are MY brother. Alright? You are my brother.", he said, trying to keep Callum sane. "This thing with you is gonna pass, I promise and we'll fix it. Alright, you with me? You with me?", Soren said, focusing Callum on the problem at hand. "Okay... okay...", Callum said, finally calming down. "We gotta get out there. There is a Bio-Terrorist, we gotta stop him before he gets to anyone else. Alright?", Soren said. As he said that, an explosion could be heard in the distance. "I need you, I need you right now.", he said, pulling Callum to his feet. "Alright? C'mon. You good? Let's go", Soren said, heading towards the sound of the explosion with Callum close behind, seemingly under control for now. 

As the duo ran to the fish cannery, Soren thought it appropriate to bring up the elephant in the room. "Just promise me you won't use any of those... tricks, okay?", he said. Callum knew what he meant, but he knew that if it wasn't for the "tricks" he just got, Soren would probably be dead by now. "I wouldn't have been able to even get to you back there if I hadn't-", he said, his temper flaring up again; he was still very emotional right now. "Just promise me you won't do that.", Soren said, worried for what would happen if anyone else found out. "Okay... okay.", Callum said defeated. "I just... I don't want you to think what's happened is a good thing. Okay? Because it's not.", Soren said, before another officer yelled to him. "Sherrif, we can't get in. The button's jammed!", he said. Callum looked and saw that they were correct; the button to raise the gate to the cannery was smashed and the controls were fried. "I think Amaya's still inside.", another human said, catching Callum's attention. Amaya was the last of his family, if she died, he would be all that's left. Soren went to try the manual latch but he nearly burnt his hand trying to do so. "Jeez man, the latch is melted.", Callum said. "Locked? How the hell'd he get through?", Soren asked, unsure of how else to get inside. Callum then thought of his dash ability and wondered if the Bio-Terrorist could do the same. "I think he ran through.", Callum said, pitching the idea. Soren knew it was a terrible idea, but if Amaya needed help... "You can do that?", Soren asked, skeptical of the plan here. "Only one way to find out.", Callum said. Trying to use his new ability, Callum flew through the bars in a cloud of smoke, re-appearing in the cannery courtyard. "Oh my god!", someone yelled. "Callum's a Bio-Terrorist, too!", another cried, before running off in fear. "Wait, he's not...!", Soren yelled, face-palming his own hesitance. "Dammit, when the town hears about you, there's going to be a panic.", he said to Callum, who was still emanating wisps of smoke. "Fine, go. Control the mobs.", Callum said, looking for a way into the cannery. "I'm coming back with help. See if Amaya is in there with the Bio-Terrorist.", Soren said before running off to get backup.

 Callum tried all the doors but they were locked. Unsure of what to do, he took a step back and scanned the building. His eyes fell on a vent that emanated traces of smoke. Approaching it, his instincts took over as he dashed into the vent and re-materialized at the one on the roof. Callum steadied himself before realizing what that meant. "Vents! Good to know.", he said to himself, spotting another vent in front of him. Dashing through the next one, he came out too fast to stop himself and soared into the air, falling through a hole in the cannery skylight. Bracing for the pain of landing of the floor of the cannery, it never came when his feet slammed on the ground. "Wow... that... should have hurt.", Callum said, confused but not complaining. "Aunt Amaya? Where are you, Aunt Amaya?", he whisper-yelled into the cannery, parts of which were on fire. The path forward was blocked by burnt wood. Callum tried to dash through, but the pure heat of the wood was still more than he could handle. He was knocked back and rested on a nearby barrel, trying to figure out he was going to get through if his powers couldn't. Callum then saw a nearby chain and improvising, grabbed it and gave it a few practice spins. Callum winded up and took a big swing at the boards, breaking them apart and out of his way. "Yeah, this'll work.", he said, smashing through more boards. "Who's out there?", came the voice of Gren, probably voicing for Aunt Amaya. "What's going on back there?", he said. "Almost there, guys.", Callum yelled. "Callum? It's dangerous, go get your step-brother!", Gren yelled.

"You need to get out of here, lady.", the Bio-Terrorist said to Amaya who was holding a stapler again and had Gren stay behind her. "Stay away from us!", Gren said to him, making sure Amaya didn't do anything reckless. "I'm trying to help you!", the Bio-Terrorist said, but Amaya wasn't having it. Just then, Callum burst into the room. "Callum!", Gren said, as the boy glared at the Bio-Terrorist responsible for his "transformation". The man was trying to explain himself to the boy, who was getting more angry by the second. "I was just trying to create a diversion, I didn't know anyone was in here.", he said. Callum had enough by that point. "You did this to me!", he said, holding up his fist to show the smoke coming out of it. The Bio-Terrorist was shocked at the boy's abilities that were identical to his own. "You're a Conduit!?", he yelled, not believing how there was someone like him here. Amaya was shocked and when Gren spoke it was to clarify his own thoughts. "Callum, how did...?", he said, unable to comprehend what was happening: first, him and Amaya are cornered by a Bio-Terrorist and now Callum was one of them? "Guys, I'll explain later, but you two gotta get out of here now.", he said, glaring at the Conduit who turned him. "Good, I'm gone.", the man said, starting to run away. "Not until you fix this!", Callum yelled, dashing after the man and tackling him to the ground. Callum grabbed the man by the arms and their arms began to glow. As Callum stared into the man's face, his features became more and more ripply and wavy.

_I spent most of my life behind bars. It's easy enough to bust out. You just have to wait for that "golden opportunity". When I got my powers... heh, I was unstoppable. Until the D.U.P. caught up with me. They have a special prison they like to throw people like me in. Figured out some way to bind us all so we couldn't use our powers. That also meant they had to feed us, wash us, even... clean up after us. That is no way for anyone to live. No way. There was this red-headed lady in there, really into needles and scalpels... she called what she was doing "tests". But if you're like me, and you do enough time, you learn a few tricks. You just had to be patient. Sooner or later, they'll screw up. They always do. You perhaps see something, or hear something... Learn things you weren't supposed to know. So when that bitch put the three of us in that box, I knew what was coming... A "golden opportunity"._

Callum came to, still on the floor of the cannery loading bay. The Conduit was still beside him and was shocked at what the boy did. "I saw you, poking around inside my head.", he said, starting to get up. "That was me? I thought that was you?", Callum said, unsure if he actually saw someone's memories. "You saw it right? That D.U.P. prison... If she catches you, that's where you're going.", he said, Callum still processing the overload of information. The Conduit smoke dashed away, but Callum still needed him to be normal again. "Hey! Wait, wait, wait!", he yelled, getting up. "I won't stay here and die!", he yelled from the next room. Callum smoke dashed into the room, but he didn't see the Conduit until he knocked him over with his own dash. "I'm warning you kid. BACK OFF!", he yelled, before smoke dashing away. Callum wearily got back up and ready to fight. "You're not going anywhere... until you fix this!", he yelled. Callum ran after the Conduit, but before he could get close, he would dash away and shoot smoke bullets at Callum. "Look, I don't know what happened, but you better be ready to disappear...", he said, confusing the boy. "Why?", Callum asked from behind cover. "You're a Conduit now, boy. A Bio-Terrorist. Welcome to the world of 'run for your life'. And that's what I intend to do... even if I have to go through you.", the man said. Callum tried rushing the Conduit and using his chain, but the man dashed away. Callum did manage to land a few hits on the man before he dashed away again. "You're not going anywhere until you fix this!", Callum yelled as the man dashed across the room. "This isn't something that CAN be fixed!", the man said, coming out of his dash shooting more bullets. "Then... at least show me how to control it.", Callum said, thinking there might be a way to hide after all this. "Don't have time to teach. The D.U.P.'s coming. And she knows that I'm onto her plan.", the Conduit said, fighting through the stinging pain of Callum's recreational weapon. "This fire's only going to buy two... three minutes worth diversion tops. I gotta leave now. I am not going back to Curden Cay.", the Conduit said, trying to escape the fight but wherever he went, Callum was right on his tail. "Yeah, well, whoever's coming is coming for you man, not me.", Callum said, using his dash ability to follow the Conduit around the cannery. "You've been seen, boy. People around here know about you. And she's got a way of making people talk. Good luck, kid.", he said, dashing out a nearby door. "Oh hell no, no way I'm gonna die, in a fish guttery.", Callum yelled, chasing after the Conduit. 

Shoving the doors open, Callum was met with a blinding light, followed by seeing the Conduit on the ground, seeming to surrender, encased up to his waist in... concrete? "Listen, you just let me go, just let me walk away, and nobody ever has to know about this-", the Conduit pleaded, to no avail as the concrete continued to encase him. "Wait a minute, just stop, let's talk about thi...", he begged, before his whole body became covered in rocks. Then, a woman stepped forward. She didn't seem to be old but was still older than Callum. Her raven black hair grew to her back and her emerald green eyes gave a false sense of calmness to the unwary. She wore a navy blue shirt under a high collared trench coat, earpieces in both ears, a gold necklace, dark grey slacks, and black leather boots. "Oh, Corvus... I am so very disappointed in you.", she said in a lecturing tone. "Well! We got em, right? I uh... flushed out that mean ol' Conduit for you. Good job, everybody. Especially you guy...", Callum said, acting as though he was trying to help. "Bio-Terrorist.", the woman said, causing the boy to wince, thinking he had been called out. "Corvus Lafayette was a Bio-Terrorist. Conduit is a word used by traitors who sympathize with their cause. You're not a traitor, are you?", she asked, finding Callum's presence suspicious. "I uh... I try not to be.", he said, chuckling a little at his poorly timed humor. The lady clearly wasn't buying it. "You seem nervous.", she said. "No, I'm not nervous.", he said, trying to dispel her suspicions. "It's been my experience that there are only two reasons for people to be nervous. Either they're cowards... or they have something to hide.", she said, walking around Callum. "Well, you know, I also get nervous around pretty girls.", he said, hoping to appeal to her sense of humor. It wasn't helping, and he winced at that terrible attempt. "You were in there with that Bio-Terrorists for some time. Did he share anything with you?", she asked, getting in Callum's face. "Umm, 'share'?", he asked, confused with her wording. "Did he say anything to you? Share any of his ramblings about... conspiracies?", she clarified. "Oh, umm... no, he didn't share anything.", Callum said. "Good. That's good to hear. You see, we are engaged in a life and death war against these Bio-Terrorists, and it's my job to do whatever it takes to ensure we win that war.", she said, before starting to walk away. 

Callum then remembered that she encased Corvus in concrete, so isn't that kind of bass-ackwards? "But, it's kinda funny because, aren't you a Bio-Terrorist too?", he said and regretted it the moment she stopped walking. Concrete appeared right in front of him and Callum knew he said something he shouldn't have. "Okay, okay, okay.", he said, trying to apologize as she turned back around. "Yes, I am. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. And it's clear now that you're not a coward, which means that there's something you're not telling me.", she said, signaling the two men she brought with her to step up and aim their rifles at Callum. "What, what are you doing? You can't do this. You crazy?! I've got rights!", he yelled, not believing how this escalated so fast. "And I have the legal authority to suspend those right whenever I feel it's necessary. Like now, for instance. I'll ask again, what happened in there?", she said. "And I'll tell you again, noth- GAH!", he said, feeling a sharp pain in his leg as a shard of concrete pierced his knee. "I'm told that hurts.", the woman said, mockingly. Callum looked up at her and mockingly copied her facial expression, resulting in more concrete impaling his legs. "Maybe I know what happened in there!", Amaya said, albeit rather strange since she couldn't hear her own voice. "NO! Aunt Amaya, don't...", Callum said, keeping his aunt away. "Really? Still nothing? Well, unless you decide that you do have something to tell me, I'll go 'chat' with that nice old lady. But you should know, concrete is especially hard on brittle bones. And if she doesn't talk, I'll just move on to the next one, then the next... until I find someone who does. So, do you have something you want to tell me? Or do you prefer that I move on to your friends here?", the woman said, giving Callum an ultimatum. 

Callum decided to risk his own freedom to protect his only family left. "I'm a Conduit...", he said softly. "What?", the lady yelled, unable to hear him. "I said, I'm a Conduit, alright?", he said, looking up at her. "I caught it a second ago from, from that guy...", he admitted. "Oh, you 'caught' it. Very funny...", she said, impaling Callum's shins with sharp rocks, causing him to lay on his side. "Callum!", Gren yelled, glaring at the woman with powers. "So, Amaya, maybe you can give me a straight answer. Callum felt like he was passing out, but he still witnessed Amaya get punctured with rocks as he did. "Yeah... I'm told that hurts.", the woman said before Callum finally blacked out.


	2. Sacrifice Katolis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil Karma Chapter
> 
> Callum puts others in danger to save himself, taking the first step to become Infamous

Shoving the doors open, Callum was met with a blinding light, followed by seeing the Conduit on the ground, seeming to surrender, encased up to his waist in... concrete? "Listen, you just let me go, just let me walk away, and nobody ever has to know about this-", the Conduit pleaded, to no avail as the concrete continued to encase him. "Wait a minute, just stop, let's talk about thi...", he begged, before his whole body became covered in rocks. Then, a woman stepped forward. She didn't seem to be old but was still older than Callum. Her raven black hair grew to her back and her emerald green eyes gave a false sense of calmness to the unwary. She wore a navy blue shirt under a high collared trench coat, earpieces in both ears, a gold necklace, dark grey slacks, and black leather boots. "Oh, Corvus... I am so very disappointed in you.", she said in a lecturing tone. "Well! We got em, right? I uh... flushed out that mean ol' Conduit for you. Good job, everybody. Especially you guy...", Callum said, acting as though he was trying to help. "Bio-Terrorist.", the woman said, causing the boy to wince, thinking he had been called out. "Corvus Lafayette was a Bio-Terrorist. Conduit is a word used by traitors who sympathize with their cause. You're not a traitor, are you?", she asked, finding Callum's presence suspicious. "I uh... I try not to be.", he said, chuckling a little at his poorly timed humor. The lady clearly wasn't buying it. "You seem nervous.", she said. "No, I'm not nervous.", he said, trying to dispel her suspicions. "It's been my experience that there are only two reasons for people to be nervous. Either they're cowards... or they have something to hide.", she said, walking around Callum. "Well, you know, I also get nervous around pretty girls.", he said, hoping to appeal to her sense of humor. It wasn't helping, and he winced at that terrible attempt. "You were in there with that Bio-Terrorist for some time. Did he share anything with you?", she asked, getting in Callum's face. "Umm, 'share'?", he asked, confused with her wording. "Did he say anything to you? Share any of his ramblings about... conspiracies?", she clarified. "Oh, umm... no, he didn't share anything.", Callum said. "Good. That's good to hear. You see, we are engaged in a life and death war against these Bio-Terrorists, and it's my job to do whatever it takes to ensure we win that war.", she said, before starting to walk away.

Callum then remembered that she encased Corvus in concrete, so isn't that kind of bass-ackwards? "But, it's kinda funny because, aren't you a Bio-Terrorist too?", he said and regretted it the moment she stopped walking. Concrete appeared right in front of him and Callum knew he said something he shouldn't have. "Okay, okay, okay.", he said, trying to apologize as she turned back around. "Yes, I am. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. And it's clear now that you're not a coward, which means that there's something you're not telling me.", she said, signaling the two men she brought with her to step up and aim their rifles at Callum. "What, what are you doing? You can't do this. You crazy?! I've got rights!", he yelled, not believing how this escalated so fast. "And I have the legal authority to suspend those right whenever I feel it's necessary. Like now, for instance. I'll ask again, what happened in there?", she said. "And I'll tell you again, noth- GAH!", he said, feeling a sharp pain in his leg as a shard of concrete pierced his knee. "I'm told that hurts.", the woman said, mockingly. Callum looked up at her and mockingly copied her facial expression, resulting in more concrete impaling his legs. "Maybe I know what happened in there!", Amaya said, albeit rather strange since she couldn't hear her own voice. "NO! Aunt Amaya, don't...", Callum said, keeping his aunt away. "Really? Still nothing? Well, unless you decide that you do have something to tell me, I'll go 'chat' with that nice old lady. But you should know, concrete is especially hard on brittle bones. And if she doesn't talk, I'll just move on to the next one, then the next... until I find someone who does. So, do you have something you want to tell me? Or do you prefer that I move on to your friends here?", the woman said, giving Callum an ultimatum.

 Callum's anger reached a boiling point, and his thoughts were all over the place. He didn't give a second thought to place others in danger to save himself. "I do have something to say...", he said, glaring up at the woman. "Piss. Off.", he said, never breaking eye contact. The woman only looked down at him in disappointment. "Then I have no further use for you.", she said, impaling Callum's legs with more concrete, causing him to keel over. Amaya watched in horror as her nephew's legs looked more jagged then the cliffsides they were near. "Hope you're not as stubborn as that one, are you, Amaya?", she said to the older lady, who simply gave her a stone face and crossed her arms. Then it was Gren's turn to watch as his friend got her calf stabbed by a shard of concrete, and falling to her knees. "Yeah, I'm told that hurts.", the woman said before Callum blacked out.


	3. Welcome to Seattle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum awakes from his week-long coma and departs on a journey with Soren to save his aunt and Katolis itself.

Wake up...

"Wake up! The Bio-Terrorist threat is NOT over.", a TV report said. Callum awoke with a start and was surprised to see the familiar setting of the lodge. "What more proof than you need than the current situation in Seattle?", the TV report continued. Callum noticed that his vest, chain, shoes, and beanie were all removed from his person, but also that his surrounding were obscured by hospital curtains. As he sat up and readjusted himself, he noticed that the concrete shards in his legs were gone, each one that impaled itself into his thighs and calves disappeared. And yet, he thought about the last person that woman hurt... "Aunt Amaya...", Callum whispered to himself, standing up to try and find his only family. Callum barely left his room when he saw the mess that had been made and all the curtains blocking his view. "What the hell is going on in here?", he said to himself, looking at the TV report, which now had the face of the woman who attacked him and Amaya. "Claudia Brooks", the screen said. "So that's who she is.", Callum thought to himself. Looking around, Callum saw a lot of similarities to the lodge and a clinical ward. "They turned the lodge into a hospital? How long have I been out?", he said to himself, confused. Walking down the corridor, he met a disturbing sight: the silhouette of someone with dozens of sharp objects jutting out of their body. He recognized the faint groan but the person wasn't able to say anything else. "Nick man, what the hell happened?", he said. Unable to get an answer out of the injured man, he kept walking down the dimly lit room of hospital curtains. Turning another corner, he saw another disgusting sight. X-rays of the wounded, showing concrete shards impaling someone's arms, legs, hands, chest, and neck. Luckily nowhere serious, but maybe she should've killed them, so they didn't have to suffer like this. "Oh my god.", Callum whispered to himself, shocked at how bad it was. "How could anyone do this? How many people did she hurt?", he asked, questioning Claudia's morals. Walking down the corridor still, he saw another silhouette, this one a girl with a lot of concrete in her legs and a bit in her shoulders. Coming to the foyer, he found the person he'd been looking for, under a banner saying "Get Well Soon, Amaya.". "Oh my god... Aunt Amaya.", Callum said, concerned for his aunt. 

"Callum dear, you're awake.", Amaya signed to him, putting on a weak smile in the face of the concrete sticking out of her leg. "So, did Claudia do this to you?", Callum said gesturing to the rocks. "Yeah, what did you think I was going to rat you out to that ornery trot?", she signed to him, grasping his hand as he sat down on the bed beside her. "Besides, at the time it seemed all the cool kids were getting their legs pierced.", she signed with a smile at her own bittersweet joke. Callum then remembered the people and the X-Rays. "So, does that mean that everyone here-?", Callum said, hoping it wasn't true, but Aunt Amaya only confirmed his grim suspicions. "This is Katolis. We protect our own.", she said. Callum could only close his eyes and look down in disappointment in himself. He blamed himself for what happened to all his friends. "No one here blames you for what happened. Neither should you.", Amaya said, her voice still sounding strange since she could not hear it. "Can't be ashamed for what you are. Can't help it. You were born that way.", she signed to him, trying to help him cope. "All that matters is... I'm one of them now.", he said sadly, causing his aunt to give him a stern look. "You are not one of those... beady-eyed Bio-Terrorists who go around killing people willy-nilly. You're a good kid... you just happen to have smoke coming out of your fingers.", she said, causing Callum to try and pull away, making her grip his arm with both hands. "The whole reason you're hurt is cause I have smoke coming out of my fingers.", Callum said, once again blaming himself. "Hey... don't go down that road. If you're just going to be a buzzkill, I'm going to get some more sleep so I can get better and back on my feet again. And I can rest now because you're awake. Now don't worry about me, I'm going to be fine. Really... you'll see.", she signed, before drifting off to sleep. Callum saw her resting face and swore to himself to make this right. Claudia was going to regret this. Moving his arm slowly out of his aunt's grasp, he got up off the bed. "I'll fix this.", he whispered to her, planting a kiss on her head before walking away. 

Callum took one last look back at Amaya and didn't even notice Soren walk in with his father. "Oh man, Callum! Dammit, I thought we were gonna lose you there.", Soren said, giving the boy a hug. "A little concrete in the legs? It's going to take more than that.", he said as he went to his locker to get his things. "Ah... Glad to see that 'fast healing' seems to be part of your new, uh... 'thing'? Speaking of which, uhm, the craziness with the... hands? Is that gone?", he asked, Callum seemingly in control of the smoke that nearly made him lose his mind. "I don't know. 'There's no smoking in the Lodge', remember?", Callum said, flinging the locker door and grabbing his shoes and other items. "And I wouldn't want to get in the way of anyone's recovery.", he said, trying to get his shoes on his feet. "Recovery? Hey, Callum, these people aren't getting any better. They're dying man.", Soren said, trying to tell him the ugly truth. Callum didn't believe a word of it, Amaya said herself that she was going to get better. "You don't know that!", he whispered to him, keeping his voice down to not worry anyone else and make sure Amaya got her rest. This time, Soren's father, Viren Taylor, spoke up. "No, but I do. I'm doing everything I can to ease their pain, but... The only way those shards are coming out is the same way they went in.", he said, shocking the boy. "What? But that was Claudia and her concrete power... Screw it. Soren, looks like you and me are going to Seattle and we're gonna go get her.", Callum said, grabbing his beanie, book, and vest. "Whoa, whoa wait. What, you think you're just gonna charm her into coming back here with you? C'mon man, I know you took a bump to the head but you two didn't exactly hit it off last time you were together.", Soren said, Viren nodding his head in agreement but Callum simply punched the cabinet door. "Guys,  _I_  did this, and I need to fix it.", he said, heading for the door before his step-brother grabbed his arm. "No, dammit Callum, you just got back on your feet. Look, I know you want to help but my father said-", Soren said, trying to convince the younger man to stay. "-that the only way it's getting out is with the same power, I get it.", Callum said in frustration before realization hit him like a truck and his eyes widened in response. "Which means, we don't need Claudia. We just need her power.", he said, a small smile spreading across his face. "Ok, now you've lost me.", Soren said, confused by Callum's words. "I'm a goddamn power sponge, remember?", he said, referring to when he touched Corvus' hands and instantly was able to use Smoke Dash. "If I got smoke, why can't I get concrete?", he said, patting Soren's arm. "Yes, but what if smoke was a one-time deal? You have to realize that you'd be going up against a thousand D.U.P. operatives just to get to her?", Viren said, disapproving of Callum's idea. "Yeah, something like that. C'mon Soren, I'll explain in the truck.", Callum said, jogging out the door while getting his vest on. "What truck? You don't have a truck, I... ah, it's my truck.", Soren said, walking towards the door when Viren grabbed his arm. "Son, listen to me. Get Callum back here as soon as you can. Claudia thought Callum was joking when he said he was a 'Conduit'. He may not be my blood, but his father was a good friend of mine and I do not want him in that... Curden Cay prison. His place is here, with his aunt and Katolis.", Viren whispered to his son.

After about five minutes of driving, Callum opened his book and began writing out a plan, simultaneously telling Soren. "Okay, so I've got this whole thing figured out, right? We... we hit the town, load up at the all-you-can-leech 'Conduit Power' buffet, maybe swing by the Space Needle, always wanted to see it, and then we're back home to save some lives.", he said, closing his book. "You do realize that when we 'hit the town', there's a fair chance the town's gonna, you know... hit back?", Soren said, dropping hints at the opposition they were almost certainly going to face. Callum just sat there confused. "What does that even mean?", he said, not sure what Soren was talking about. "It means that Seattle has half a million people that aren't exactly thrilled about the Bio-Terrorists that are already there. You think they're gonna welcome you with open arms?", he said, keeping his eye on the road. "No, but I'm gonna be different, okay? I'm not there doing what they do, I'm there to save lives! I'm gonna be like Superman, I'll be healing the sick and...", Callum said, feeling like a superhero with his new powers. "Right. Yeah. Hey hero, what... you think they're gonna throw you a parade? Wake up, man.", Soren said, dismissing his troublemaking brother's grand delusions. He then noticed Callum looking down and out the window, watch the road passing by. "Look, don't worry Cal, alright? We're going to fix things. We're gonna find you a cure.", he said, trying to raise Callum's spirits, but instead raised his temper. "A 'cure'?!", he said, offended at the thought of even losing his powers now that he had a purpose to use them. "Shooting smoke out of your fingertips isn't exactly normal, man.", Soren said. "Just because it's not normal doesn't mean it needs a cure, okay? Van Gogh wasn't normal, Gandhi wasn't normal, hell, elves aren't exactly normal...", Callum said. "Yeah, but elves have existed for as long as humans had, people weren't scared of Van Gogh, and Gandhi didn't blow shit up with his bare hands. People are afraid of Bio-Terrorists, they're freaks.", Soren said, triggering Callum. "See, that is pre-programmed bull...", he said until he was interrupted by Soren pulling over suddenly. Callum looked and saw what had caused them to stop and all he could say was: "...shit"

A massive roadblock made from large slabs of concrete blocked the road, preventing the two from going any further. "Well... looks like we're walking the rest of the way.". Callum said, unbuckling his seatbelt and hopping out of the truck, Soren following suit. "Holy crap, would you look at this?", Cal said, his mind blown. "Look, you know if you're having second thoughts I completely-", Soren said trying to get them to turn back. "Are you kidding me? This is amazing!", Cal said, chuckling a bit at the skill used by those Conduits who escaped, their handiwork on display for him. "'This' is destruction.", Soren protested. "'This' is self-defense, man. The roadblock was set up to attack them.", Cal replied. "Because they're Bio-Terrorists.", Soren said. "Well, it didn't stop them, and it's not going to stop this bad boy, either.", Callum said, noticing a glow out of the corner of his eye. "Well, this must be the mothership...", he said, raising an arm to block some of the glow in his eyes, when the essence of the device began to transfer from the machine to his hand, leaving a tingling sensation. Callum yelled when the glow transferred to both his arms and caused him to float, information overloading his brain and he began seeing visions. In the vision, Callum shot a small bolt of smoke and embers out of his hands, not very strong but seemingly powerful enough to blow up cars. As the vision faded, Callum came back down and tried to recover from the experience. "Jesus, Callum!", Soren exclaimed, concerned for his step-brother's well-being. "Hey, you okay?", he asked, unsure how to approach him. "Okay? I'm better than okay, man. I think I picked up a new trick.", he said, his arms coating themselves in embers as a small D.U.P. drone flew by. Callum decided to use the drone as target practice, taking aim with his arm raised. Thinking of what he did in the vision, a small bot of smoke and embers shot out of his hand and hit the drone, causing it to blow up and spin out of the air. Callum chuckled at his new ability, while Soren looked on in both amazement and disbelief. "Oh yeah, definitely new and improved.", Cal said, staring at his hand for a second before Soren spoke up. "Callum, this is not 'improved', man! We're trying to fix the problems you already have, not add new ones!", he said, not liking the situation one bit. "What, you think Claudia is just sitting on her ass?! I gotta power up if I'm gonna go toe-to-toe with 'Concrete Queen'.", Callum said, trying to convince Soren to lighten up. "Hey, I'm hoping to avoid that. Listen, there might be another way that we can get to Claudia.", Soren said, hoping that the delinquent would try to be diplomatic. "What other way?  _What other way?_ ", Callum asked sarcastically. "I have a few connections in Seattle, alright? Some in the police force. If we get them to help us-", Soren said, before Callum shut that idea down like a teenager with their laptop when their parents walk in. "No, no, this is not the point where 'Soren swoops in and makes everything alright'. This is not your problem to fix, it is mine.", he said. Soren was about to retort when they both heard a woman yell for help. "There, perfect. You wanna go help somebody? Go save 'Damsel in Distress'.", he said. Soren was about to drag Callum with him, but he got out of that one fast; he wanted to test out his new powers and see what else he can pick up. "Oh, no no no, you go play super-cop, okay? I will catch up with you in a minute.", he said, causing Soren to have a small internal conflict. "Alright, but don't go anywhere, and for God's sake, don't touch anything.", he said as he ran off, with Cal imitating Soren behind his back. "Pshhh. I'm gonna touch EVERYTHING. Hello. You're up first, little guy.", he said, referring to the drone he shot down earlier.

Reaching out to the drone, it had the same glow as the big machine where he learned to use Smoke Shot. He then absorbed the power but it had less of an impact; instead of a rush of energy, he felt a small tingling sensation in his body. To him, it felt... pleasing. "Oookay, yeah, that can definitely be habit-forming.", he said. He then noticed a bunch of drones spring up. Deciding to try his hand and target practice again, Callum raised his hand to shoot more smoke... but nothing happened. "Wait, I was still using that!", he whined until he noticed the blown-up cars lying around. "Maybe I just need to refill the smoke tank.", he theorized and tested by reaching out to the smoke coming out of the busted engines. As he expected, the smoke transferred from the car to his hand and he felt his energy become replenished. "Good to go.", he said taking aim again at a drone. Trying again, he shot smoke once more and destroyed the drone. "Yeah, this should do the trick.", he said, noticing that each drone glowed the same, which meant he could absorb more energy from them. After absorbing the last drone's power, Callum got a call from Soren. "Hey Callum, I need you up here.", he said. "You will not believe what that beeping was.", Callum said, still pumped up about his own hand becoming his own personal gun. "Just get up here, okay? I found a bus full of relief workers that's stuck. I'm trying to convince them to abandon the bus, but they don't want to leave all the medical supplies on top.", he said, with Cal seeing the blockade of concrete. "Tell them to sit tight, I'll clear the way.", he said, draining the smoke out of a nearby car. "Callum, I know what you're thinking and don't!", Soren said, fearing that Cal would expose himself to the workers. "Dude, I just took out a squadron of quad-copters, I think I can handle a few rocks.", he said jumping on top of the bus and shooting smoke at the concrete barricades. No matter how fast he shot, he barely made a dent in the rock. "This is gonna take forever. There's gotta be a faster way.", he thought. Then he remembered those drones he shot at and the power he drained from them. Maybe he could use it somehow to upgrade his power. Focusing a bit more, he charged his Smoke Shot with burning cinders, turning it into a Cinder Blast. Firing a Cinder Blast at the rocks, he blew them apart and into rubble. "I. Am. Unstoppable!", he yelled in excitement. "Callum, I told you not to-", Soren said, before getting cut off. "Sorry Soren, can't hear you over the sound of my heroics.", he said, clearing the way. With the concrete gone, the bus began to move. "Callum, I'm not-", Soren said, before being cut off again. "Oops, lost you. Must've hit the mute button.", Callum said, running after the bus to make sure the road was clear. Callum shot a car with his Smoke Shot to blow it up and refuel himself. Blowing apart one last barricade, Callum walked back to the bus. "Okay, looks like the rest of the way is clear. Time to ride this baby straight to Seattle.", he said.

Soren kept his head down at the front of the bus, calling Callum even though he was walking up to the door. Callum knocked on the door of the bus and was confused when Soren still didn't open it. "Dude, Soren... open up, let's go.", he said before his phone started ringing in his pocket. Callum looked up to see Soren gesturing to his own phone, which was held up to his ear. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me.", Callum mumbled to himself, pulling his phone out of his pocket and pressing 'Accept Call'. "Hello?", he said jokingly while looking at Soren through the glass. "Callum, we got a problem. Some of the people on the bus, they saw you doing your super-thingy to clear the way.", Soren said in a low voice. "And?", Callum asked, not sure why that was bad. "And... they're afraid of you.", Soren admitted, knowing that this would eventually happen. "What?", Callum said after a brief pause. "Look I told you, man. Bio-Terrorists aren't... exactly popular.", Soren said, trying to keep his voice down to avoid terrifying the people behind him. "So what am I, like Rosa Parks and they want me to sit at the back of the bus?", Callum said, looking towards the back to see a woman cower behind the glass when he looked her way. "No, they want you to sit... outside the bus. Look, they don't want you in here, alright? They said that if you get on, they're gonna get off.", Soren said, trying to explain the situation to the younger man. "So let them walk, I don't care! You think I can't take this door down?", Callum said, shoving the door in anger and protest. "You are not going to do that. These people have never seen anything like you before and they are scared. Alright? And I can't blame them.", Soren sternly said, making sure Cal did nothing rash. "He said he's going to break down the door. GO!", a man shouted from inside the bus, trying to get Soren to leave the "Bio-Terrorist". "Sir, just give me a second! Look, just let me run them across the bridge, I'll come right back for you, alright? It'll take five minutes.", he said. Callum felt betrayed and the look on his face reflected this. "C'mon man, I can't let you on the bus. 5 minutes.", he said. Callum eventually stood back and hung up, waving the bus on ahead. As Soren and the bus disappeared around the bend, Callum started walking in the rain when he got another call from Soren. "Listen, switch on the GPS tracking on your phone, in case we get separated.", he said. "Oh, you mean like now?", Callum said sassily, hanging up in the process. He came up to the entrance of a tunnel that had weird glowing lights around them. Must've been one of the Conduits that escaped. Just as he was entering the tunnel, he got another call from Soren. "Callum, I got the aid workers across...... The D.U.P....... clearing the bridge...... coming back for you, so...", he said, his voice cutting in and out before the call dropped. "Soren, you there? What's going on up - hello?", Callum said, hanging up and picking up the pace, coming around to a bunch of cars that were being looted. "Hey! Hey! You guys need any help?", he said, not noticing the wisps of smoke coming off his hands. "Oh shit! A Bio-Terrorist? Hey! It's one of those freaks!", a looter shouted to his gang members, Callum sighing in reply. The man fired his pistol at Callum, missing by mere inches and scaring the boy out of his wits. "Whoa! No-no-no-no!", he yelled, waving arms dismissively to say he meant no harm, but to no avail, as the man shot him twice in the chest and Callum fell backward. 

Callum lied there as smoke, embers, and cinders flooded into him, healing his bullet wounds. He chuckled at the thought of getting some payback. "Oh, this 'fast-healing' stuff is gonna come in real handy.", he said, disintegrating into smoke and rising to his feet. Raising his hand, Callum shot the first looter he saw with Smoke Shot, knocking them to the ground. The other looters saw this and began freaking out. "How's he still alive?", one said, having heard the gunshots. "Look, I just want to get through the tunnel.", Callum said, firing upon two more gunmen before closing in on the last guy who dropped his gun on the floor. "Okay, okay, I give up, okay? Just don't hurt me.", he begged, putting his hands up. Callum considered it for a second, before knocking the man to the floor with a fist covered in embers and smoke. "See, we're not all monsters. Spread the word.", he said, continuing on his way. As he continued down the road, suddenly, the tunnel began to flood with dust. "Oh, shit!", Callum yelled, blocking his face as the alarms went off. "What the hell happened? Soren! Oh man, answer me!", he said, trying to call the officer on his phone but the call wouldn't go through. Coming out to the exit, Callum saw what caused the dust cloud: massive constructs of concrete tore apart the bridge that spanned the river to Seattle. "Oh. My. God. This was a bridge?", was all Callum could say, surprised at how bad the D.U.P. wrecked the place. Two choppers passed overhead, searchlights looking for survivors and the Conduits who escaped. "I'm coming, Soren.", he said, dropping down from where the bridge collapsed. Moving ahead, he found another machine like the one where he learned Smoke Shot. Absorbing the energy, he floated again and began to process what he picked up. In the vision, he saw himself manipulate the smoke from destroyed and functioning cars to cause an explosion that propelled him upwards, gaining good vertical distance. His vision over, he decided to put it to the test by scaling the wall of highway that looked unclimbable. Jumping on the car in front of him, Callum channeled the smoke to launch him up and onto the next part of the battered bridge. "Okay, Cosmos, keep 'em coming.", he said, jumping onto another car and launching again for fun. Falling down to the next part, Callum proceeded to keep moving along the shifting architecture, trying not to stay for too long, lest he fall into the river. Seeing another machine, Callum balanced himself along the road divider to it. Absorbing the energy, Callum saw himself shoot embers out of his arms and float over gaps, using his arms as rocket thrusters. Jumping over the gap, Callum thrust his arms to his sides, his hands igniting and floating himself across. As he landed, the road above him threatened to collapse, causing the boy to run a bit faster to not get crushed. Once he was out in the open again, he got a call on his phone... from Gren? "Callum, what's this I hear about you and your step-brother taking off for Seattle?", Gren asked, probably translating for Amaya. "It's really not a good time, Gren.", Callum said, holding his phone tightly to make sure he didn't drop it while using his powers. "Okay. You just be careful. And have fun.", Gren said. "I will, bye!", Callum said quickly, the road leaning so much the cars started to slide towards him. Callum jumped over the cars in his way and came to a huge gap. "Hang in there, Callum. Almost across.", he said to himself. Jumping on a car precariously sitting on the edge of the road, Callum launched himself into the air, used his thrusters to gain as much horizontal distance as possible, and then Smoke Dashed to the other side, just in time to see more concrete tear the bridge apart, pulling pieces into the river. Callum had to jump from island to island, using cars that were conveniently placed to launch himself between the gaps and his thrusters to aim himself. The bridge kept leaning and shifting as if the Earth itself was trying to kill Callum, who made it across to see the bus that Soren was on was sliding about and flipping. "Oh my god, the bus... Soren!", he said running to the vehicle but was too slow to stop it from falling over the edge. "SOREN!", he yelled, sprinting to the ledge to see if his step-brother was still alive. 

Callum looked over the edge to see that the bus had started to sink into the river but looked up to see that Soren was still alive, but barely managed to escape falling into the river by jumping across from a sinking road-piece. Callum jumped down and used Smoke Dash to get across the small gaps. Upon reaching Soren, who was hanging on the edge of the last piece of the bridge, Callum looked over and crouched down. "It's that a... 'pitching arm' again, huh?", he said, poking a jab at... nevermind. "Callum!", Soren yelled, very much not in the mood for this. "Alright, alright, alright... come on.", Callum said, reaching a hand down which Soren grabbed and pulled himself up. "Check it out.", Callum said, pointing to the now destroyed bridge. "Wow. You seem to be getting the hang of your, uh... new symptoms.", Soren said, impressed by how much control Callum had of his new smoke powers that nearly had him lose his mind a week ago. "Right? Of course, the only downside being that, ah... Nope. Can't think of anything, this is pretty Mcfreaking awesome.", he said, looking down at his hands. "Really? No downside? How about those heavily-armed guys, over there, now want to hurt you? Real bad. That a downside? Yeah. Now, look. For all we know we may be able to pass you through their security, you know, cause you're not a normal Bio-Terrorist.", Soren said, referring to the D.U.P checkpoint up ahead. "Normal? No, no, if you mean by 'normal' you mean the sheep that they try to line up so that they can probe them. No Soren, I'm not normal and did you see what I did on that bridge? We can take these guys!", Callum said, wanting some kind of vengeance to tide him over until he can get to Claudia. "I know... I did. Look, let's just see if we can sneak you through their checkpoints first, alright? It'll make getting around the city a lot easier.", Soren said, hoping to avoid unnecessary confrontation with the D.U.P. "Okay fine, fine... We'll do it your way, all subtle.", Callum mumbled, sad that he couldn't fight the D.U.P. "Listen, promise me you'll play it cool up ahead.", Soren warned, knowing Callum's temper could flare up in an instant. "Hey, they used to call me Mr. Cool.", Callum said confidently. "No one has ever once called you that. Ever.", Soren said, walking a bit ahead of Callum. "Are you seriously worried about this?", Callum asked. "The D.U.P. may have only infused their troops with a little power, but it's still enough to crush you and me to a pulp.", Soren said, to which Callum just rolled his eyes. "Okay, you have just officially ruined my Seattle vacation.", he joked. Then Callum noticed the checkpoint, the bridge, and the Conduit trails. "How long did you say I was out for?", Callum asked, forgetting to ask after all the excitement. "One week.", Soren said. "So that means that the D.U.P. put all this up in-", Callum said, which Soren confirmed. "They've been busy.", Callum said, amazed by the D.U.P.'s efficiency. "Once we're through, I'll check with a couple of my police buddies, try to get access to the police databases. In the meantime, I need you to just lay low. Might spook them if I show up with a Bio-Terrorist.", Soren said, walking through the small gates. "Okay, boss man...", Callum said as Soren walked through after showing his pistol to the D.U.P. soldier. "Won't let on the bus, won't let me meet his friends...", he mumbled to himself

Walking up to a monitor, the computer asked to scan his finger. Placing it on the scanner, Callum waited but winced when the alarms went off. "WARNING, PRIME CONDUIT DETECTED. LETHAL FORCE IS AUTHORIZED.", the computerized voice said as two soldiers with rifles aimed at Callum. Callum backed up a bit before Soren tackled one to the ground and began punching him. "Callum, run!", he said, making a break for it. "To hell with that!", Callum said, shooting the other soldier with smoke. "Stay behind cover!", Soren yelled, drawing his pistol. "Don't tell me how to fight!", Callum yelled, blasting the gates away and opening fire on the soldiers who were advancing on them and knocking out the ones he subdued with smoke. Blowing up a car and draining its smoke, Callum kept fighting back, making sure not to hurt innocent civilians. He shot down the soldiers firing at him from a catwalk. After dispatching the soldiers, Callum got a call from Soren. Must've escaped during the battle. "Callum, we got separated. You okay?", he asked, worry in his voice. "I'm fine. Like you said, laying low.", Callum said, subduing the downed soldiers with smoke. "Just keep laying low. I'll call you when I've got something.", Soren said, hanging up. Seeing some people in a cage, Callum ran over and used his enhanced strength to tear the door off its hinges. He then ran over to a few civilians and helped them up, healing them as well. Running up the road, Callum continued to fight against D.U.P. soldiers, following wherever their laser sights pointed. Following some fleeing civilians, Callum realized they weren't fleeing from the fight; they were fleeing from him. "A Bio-Terrorist is after us!", someone cried to the next D.U.P. checkpoint. "No wait, I come in peace.", Callum yelled in protest, as more D.U.P. soldiers took up sniping positions. Unable to pinpoint the target, a soldier fired near the crowd, frightening them and shocking Callum. "What the hell, you're supposed to be protecting them from me!", he yelled shooting back with Smoke Shot, until he ran out of energy. Avoiding and tanking gunfire, Callum ran around a corner and used Smoke Dash to ascend to the roof. Looking around, he saw a vent that was emanating smoke and drained the essence to restore his energy. Heading to the roof's edge, Callum used his height advantage to shoot the soldiers that were using cover. Moving in, he got a call from Soren. "Callum, I got access to the Seattle Police headquarters. Turns out the D.U.P.'s got eyes and ears everywhere.", he said. "Well, let's gouge their eyes out and slice off their ears.", Callum said, blasting apart the checkpoint. "Okay, I've got you on my GPS. You're not far from one of their Mobile Command Centres. If you can shut that down, it'll limit their ability to track your movements.", Soren said, tracking Callum via the GPS tracker on his phone. "'Mobile Command Centre', got it. So what does one of those look like again?", he said, firing at some of the soldiers who were falling back. "Should be a large, heavily-armored mobile unit with side ports and major communications gear on top.", Soren said, as Callum fought his way uphill. "Okay, I think I see it. Badass RV with lights and metal crap on top.", he said, getting blown back by a concrete grenade. "Okay, there should be vent panels along the sides. Blow out enough of those, the core will overheat and be exposed.", Soren said. "Blow out the panels, got it.", Callum said, dashing through two vents to the roof of a building to recharge his smoke powers. Jumping down to a balcony, Callum attacked a soldier using his chain, knocking him out with a fist-full of ash. He jumped down and shot some more smoke, but after tanking another concrete grenade, he began to see that he may have bitten off more than he could chew. Callum got behind cover and took out a few more guards, one who tried to surrender. He simply knocked him out, and moved on the Mobile Command Centre, shooting out the ports and destroying the glowing ports behind them. Rescuing some suspects, Callum quickly refilled his energy and jumped to the Command Centre's roof, lifting up the main power core and pummeled it with one hand. After it was busted up, he quickly Smoke Dashed away and watched as the vehicle exploded, nearby D.U.P. security cameras shutting down as well.

People began to celebrate when another D.U.P. truck rolled up and out stepped a man covered in concrete armor with a minigun in his hand. The civilians cleared out as he took aim at Callum. "I think I prefer the small fry.", he said, collecting some Blast Shards that fell from the exploding truck. Shooting some Cinder Blasts at the armored soldier, Callum quickly dealt with the other small fry. Eventually, the Enforcer used his given powers to create a small wall of concrete to take cover behind. Callum Smoke Dashed over and yanked him out, dispersing his armor and knocking him out with a small blast of smoke. Having now dealt with all the D.U.P. in the area, he got a call from Soren, who sounded a bit more cheerful than normal. "Callum, I just realized, all the DUPs have concrete powers, right? So, all you have to do is drain one of them and we can go home. And if it doesn't work, it'll mean you were wrong about that and we can go home.", he said, hanging up. Callum thought it was worth a shot and so went back to the Enforcer. Grabbing the man's hand, Callum expected the same strange aura when he touched Corvus' hand... but nothing happened. "Oh. crap.", he said, getting a call back from Soren. "Well? Did it work?", he asked hopefully. "Uhh, no time to check. I got DUPs coming at me from every direction.", he lied, trying not to get his hopes up and then having to tell him that he tried and failed. "Then get the hell outta there!", Soren said. "Yeah, great advice.", Cal said, rolling his eyes and high-tailing it from the scene.


	4. Catching Smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum investigates the D.U.P. presence in Seattle and expands his abilities

After running down the road, Callum caught his breath and took a seat on a nearby bench and called Soren again. "Hey, Soren, any of your besties in blue know anything about more of those Core Relays?", he asked, looking at the sky and following a D.U.P. drone, trying to shoot it down. "Apparently they've got them set up all over town. The Seattle PD's been keeping an eye on them since the D.U.P. won't tell them what they do.", Soren said, Cal's eyes widening. "So you can find out where they all are?", he asked, seeing an opportunity. "Sure, like I said-", Soren said, looking at a map of where the Core Relays were. "I need you to send the locations to my phone.", Callum said Smoke Dashing to the roof of a building. "So you can keep tapping them for more powers? Forget it.", Soren said, Callum rolling his eyes. "Wow... my own step-brother wants me to fight the ultra-mega-Bio-Terrorist of all time with fewer powers.", he said dramatically. "I didn't say that-", Soren said, getting guilt-tripped. "Well, I guess I shouldn't put it off, just go straight to Claudia now and get this over with.", Callum said, shooting down a drone and draining its Blast Shard. "Okay, okay... if it'll delay your going to Claudia, I'll send you the ones I know of.", Soren said, sending a copy of the Seattle Police's map of Core Relays. "Thanks, Sor-bear. You're the best brother ever.", Callum said like a child, messing with the officer a little. "No, the best brother ever would have locked you in a closet back in Salmon Bay for the rest of your life.", Soren said, rolling his eyes at Callum's remarks. "Not sure a closet can hold a Conduit for long, but I appreciate your wanting to lock me up.", Callum said, hanging up and shooting down another drone. After absorbing its Blast Shard, Callum ran down the road and through a small shopping area and noticed all the people practically avoiding one another. "Man, Soren, you should see this. The D.U.P.'s completely trashed this city. And all the people are walking hunched over and nervous-looking.", he said, feeling bad about the people and angry at the D.U.P. for militarizing the city. "That's how martial law works. You control the city and the people by breaking both down first.", Soren said, noticing the civilians and the overall gloom of Seattle under the D.U.P. occupation. "Yeah, well occupying armies suck.", Callum said, following his GPS to the Core Relays, taking down more drones along the way. "You may want to keep that to yourself for now.", Soren said.

Coming upon a marker, Callum looked around and saw no Core Relay. He wondered if Soren sent him a faulty map when he realized that he was under a building. Seeing a nearby vent, he Smoke Dashed through it and out to the roof, launching out the top and onto the roof. Seeing the Core Relay and the three soldiers guarding it, Callum quickly dispatched them. "Soren, those Core Relays we saw on the way here must've been cracked by all the destruction, this one's sealed up pretty tight.", he said. "I doubt the D.U.P.'s gonna let you borrow their keys, so you're probably gonna have to break them open.", Soren said. "Luckily, I just happen to have some new 'breaking' skills.", Callum said, taking down the last soldier before shooting the hood off the Core Relay. Absorbing its power, Callum saw himself charge a handful of smoke and drop from a great distance and then punch the ground and cause an explosive shockwave of smoke and cinders. "Oh, this is gonna be awesome. Look out below!", he shouted, jumping over the railing in front of him and Comet Dropping into the courtyard below, smashing his fist onto the ground and defeating the D.U.P. operatives who came to check up on the guards who went radio silent near the Core Relay. "Not bad, huh? Wanna see that again?", he yelled to the streets, his excitement overwhelming him. 

Heading to the next Core Relay, Callum decided to make a pit stop by the local D.U.P. checkpoint. And by "pit stop", I mean full frontal assault. After freeing some suspected civilians, Callum engaged the nearby soldiers. After tanking a concrete grenade and several bullets, Callum fell back a bit and tried to regenerate. "Jesus, how many D.U.P. guys are in this city?", Callum asked Soren. "Well, luckily you have the advantage in numbers.", Soren said, confusing the Conduit. "How do you figure that?", Callum said, returning to battle. "Because one person can move around faster, lighter, quieter. Plus, it'll make them underestimate you. They're not gonna know what hit 'em", Soren said. "You think if you explain that to them, maybe they'll just give up?", Callum asked, hoping to make his traversal of the city easier. "What, and spoil the surprise when it happens?", Soren said as Cal finished up, draining a Blast Shard from the scanning station. 

Cutting through a few alleyways, Callum looked for the Core Relay on the rooftops but not finding anything but more D.U.P. labeled crap. "Soren, they have got checkpoints and cameras on just about every corner.", he complained. "That's the benefit of having home-field advantage.", Soren said, monitoring the D.U.P. from the Seattle Police Department. "Except this isn't their home-field.", Callum said, finding the Core Relay in an alley guarded by more D.U.P. Agents. Comet Dropping into the alley, Callum managed to take out all the guards in one fell swoop, leaving him to drain the Core Relay. Absorbing the power, Callum saw himself shoot a massive fireball towards enemies that caused a big explosion, powerful enough to destroy certain structures. Hunching over a bit, Callum witnessed an armored D.U.P. truck that blocked his only means of escape. "Okay, so that way's not an option.", he said, gathering a large amount of smoke in his hand. With the Cinder Missile charged, Callum threw it at the truck, causing it to blow up. "That was awesome! It freakin' worked!", he said, fleeing the scene. 

With only one more Core Relay to go, Callum took to the rooftops, using vents and Smoke Dash to jump from roof to roof. "I gotta tell you, man, I think at the rate I'm going with the powers thing, I think I am one more away from storming her castle.", Callum said, his confidence growing by the second. "Slow down there, hotshot. She just destroyed an entire concrete and steel bridge, remember?", Soren said. "So you're thinking one more's not gonna do it.", Callum deadpanned. "Yeah, I'm thinking not.", Soren said sarcastically. Callum followed the GPS to the last Core Relay which was at a ferry station near the Seattle Bay. "Soren, you should see this place. It's completely deserted and no ferries going in or out...", Callum said. "Same thing at the airport and the train station. And now that the bridge is out, the D.U.P.'s got this whole town sealed tight.", Soren said, massaging his temples at how fast the D.U.P. got control over Seattle. "This is not going to be easy...", Callum lamented. "Too bad I didn't think to mention that to you over and over during the last ten hours.", Soren said, as Callum went to defeat the soldiers guarding the Core Relay. "So, you think the D.U.P does this to every town the get called to?", Callum asked, not sure why a Conduit or two needed the entire city to be on lockdown. "That's what they say.", Soren said, referring to the rumors around the SPD. "Why would people even put up with that?", Cal asked, bewildered by the inability of people to speak out against the oppressive force. "Because when it comes down to it, most folks aren't willing to trade life for liberty, OR the pursuit of happiness.", Soren said. "Nah, that can't be it...", Callum said, suspicious of the D.U.P.'s actions as he drained the Core Relay. Absorbing the power, Callum saw himself lob a grenade of smoke at enemies. "Oh, I feel good about this one.", Callum said, igniting his hands. Tossing a Sulfur Bomb at a group of soldiers, the explosion engulfed them in smoke, causing them to cough uncontrollably. 

Having defeated the D.U.P. soldiers and found all the Core Relays, Callum felt that something was missing. There HAD to be another Relay somewhere. "Hey Soren, I've used up all the Core Relays you sent. I need more!", Callum said, his heart pounding in excitement. "No, that's all you get. This Bio-Terrorist thing has you all worked up. You need to find someplace to lay low and chill out for a while.", Soren sternly said. Callum was getting really annoyed by this point. "What is with you and 'laying low'? I'm fine. I'm great! Gimme more!", he yelled. "No. Now I'm working on a possible lead with a detective on the S.P.D., but we are not moving forward until I'm convinced that your head's on straight.", Soren said. "Okay, okay, I'll... 'lay low'. Whatever the hell that means.", Callum said, rolling his eyes while he drained smoke from a nearby vent. Someone gave him a wide-eyed glance when he finished, and he turned to them. "What?", he asked.


	5. The Gauntlet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum gets a tip from Soren and finds a way to disrupt D.U.P. comms across the city.

**The next day...**

Callum walked the Queen Anne District of Seattle and decided to find something to do. "Old habits die hard, they say...", he thought, a few spray paint cans, some cardboard, and tape in his hands. Finding a nearby wall to paint, he set up his stencils and began his latest work of street art: Presto Strange-O. Spraying a hand pulling a D.U.P. soldier out of a hat, he stood back and smiled to himself, hoping that his works could inspire people to speak out against the D.U.P. He got a call from Soren soon after. "Okay Callum, I got some information on the D.U.P.'s central communications network. There's a central antenna so they can coordinate the movements of all the smaller districts.", he said, going through the papers detailing the D.U.P.'s comm relay. "So, any idea where this central communication thing is?", Callum asked, putting away his art supplies, unknowing of the smirk Soren wore on his face. "Well... you did say you wanted to see it while you were here...", he said, hearing Callum's happy squealing through the phone. "SHUT UP!! Space Needle!?", he exclaimed, super excited to finally see Seattle's most famous monument. "Space Needle.", Soren said, hanging up. Callum ran down the streets as fast as his feet could carry him towards the massive spire. 

Arriving at the base of the massive building, Callum could hardly believe that the D.U.P. hooked up a bunch of metal crap to the outside of the ONE PLACE he wanted to visit the most in the whole U.S. "Okay Soren, I'm here and you were right. The Needle's tricked out with all kinds of electrical crap and what looks like a bad aluminum siding job.", he said, pointing out the metal sides on the edges of the observation deck. "Damn, I was afraid of that. You're going to have to get to the top of the Needle.", Soren said, thinking of how Cal could get up there. "It's a nice day, I'll just climb to the top.", Callum said, already climbing up a ladder on the side of the base. "No, no, no. Don't be crazy!", Soren said, disapproving of that idea. "Hey man, it's not 'crazy' to be awesome.", Callum said, using a vent to boost himself up to a part where he could grab onto. Climbing up some D.U.P. panels, Callum pulled himself over the edge and used another vent to launch himself over to a ladder to climb up. "Hey Soren... hypothetical kind of theoretical 'what if' question: what would be the explanation for how I might be able to draw the power from some Conduits, like say Corvus, and not others, say like one of these DUP troopers?", he said, pronouncing D.U.P 'dupe'. "Oh my god, so you DID try earlier!", Soren said unbelieving that Cal never told him. "I'm not looking for an 'I told you so', Soren. I'm looking for... an answer.", Callum said, having climbed to a part and checking out the view. Climbing up another ladder, Callum jumped back onto a thick wire and held on tight as he continued to climb. As he reached a certain point, an elevator nearly hit him, causing him to slide down a bit to avoid getting knocked off. Luckily, the elevator stopped before it could continue its deathly descent. "Thought the DUPs had those things locked down.", he said to himself, continuing onwards. "Well, I suppose that 'hypothetically theoretically' it could be you can only drain powers from a Conduit who has them naturally... a 'Prime' Conduit like Corvus, or hopefully Claudia. The D.U.P got all their weaker powers from Claudia, so maybe they can't pass them on, even to you.", Soren hypothesized. "So you're saying we have to keep going.", Callum said, giving them a reason to stay in Seattle and fight the D.U.P. "Don't push it! But next time... don't lie to me, okay? Trust me a little more than that.", Soren said. Callum managed to get to the "bad aluminum siding job" part of the modified Space Needle. "Man, this stuff looks even uglier from the inside. Looking forward to taking this stuff down.", Callum said to himself. Before he could continue on, he got a call from Gren again. "Hey there, it's Gren. Your aunt wanted me to call. Where are you?" he asked. "Oh, hi Gren. I'm... at the Space Needle.", Callum said, half-lying. He was at the Needle, just not in it. "Oh, I'll try back again later. Bring me a souvenir.", Gren said. "If the gift shop is open. Bye, guys.", Callum said as he swung across on a wire, several stories high in the air. Coming around the bend, Callum's hand slipped on a metal bar, causing him to clench the wire tightly. "Okay, not a good time to plummet.", he said to himself, looking down from where he was to see the hundred-foot drop that would've awaited him. Finally coming to a place where he could set his feet down on solid metal, Callum came to a vent. "You're a sight for sore eyes.", he said as he Smoke Dashed through the vent.

"This is more like it. Soren, I'm on the observation deck.", Callum said, catching his breath. "Don't let your guard down.", Soren said. Callum moved forward to find that D.U.P soldiers were up here too. Using his new trick, Sulfur Headshot, he shot the soldiers in the face with smoke which they then began choking on, allowing for the Conduit to subdue them. Callum kept going around the observation deck, coming upon a larger group of soldiers. He tried to whip some with his chain, only for one soldier to rear his hand back and send out a concrete projectile, knocking Callum on his back. Getting back on his feet, Callum charged a Cinder Blast and fired, causing the men to be blown back and knocked out. Seeing a vent, Callum looked to the roof of the Needle. "Oh well... onwards and upwards.", he said. "Keep going, you're almost to the top.", Soren said, monitoring Callum's location via GPS. Dashing through the vent, Callum stood atop one of the tallest structures in the whole United States, the high winds threatening to blow his beanie off. "Okay, time to gouge out the eye of the Needle.", he said, noticing the heavy duty wires that were holding up the metal on the outside of the Needle. "And that must be what holds it all together.", he said. Before he could move to destroy it, Callum's legs were encased in concrete. "What the hell?!", he shouted, and looked up to see a D.U.P. agent with concrete floating around him, wearing clothing similar to Claudia. "Haven't seen you before.", he said, struggling as hard as he could to break the concrete off, while also fending off some other D.U.P. troops. "Soren, man, they got a small army up here.", he said, firing at the Forced Conduits. "Means you're in the right place.", Soren said. "Or they just don't like other people playing with their stuff.", Callum said, taking cover as his fast-healing couldn't keep up with the hail of concrete and gunfire. "Focus, Callum. Do you see any way to take down their communications?", Soren asked as Callum drained a vent for more energy. "Yeah. There's this... anchor. Looks like it's holding all the antennas in place.", he said, firing off a Cinder Missle, blowing away the concrete and the Forced Conduits. With the heavy-hitters out of play, Callum began moping up the rest of the soldiers. As the soldiers lay writhing in pain, Callum went back to the anchor and began trying to destroy it... but nothing was working. Smoke Shot, Cinder Blast, Comet Drop, even Cinder Missile wasn't working. "I don't think this is gonna cut it.", he said, noticing the familiar shape of a Core Relay near the anchor. "Nothing bad ever came from getting new powers.", he said, shooting the Relay open and draining its energy. In his vision, Callum saw himself charge up a vortex of smoke around him and launch himself high into the air, coming down with his thrusters and causing a massive explosion. "Oh, this is going to be EPIC!", he yelled. Deciding to subdue the soldiers, he began to knock them out with smoke. "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, you're cool... and fuck you.", he said as he knocked each one unconscious, gathering energy from vents along the way. "Anchors away.", he said, giving off large swirly plumes of smoke around his arms and lower body as he crouched down. He then launched high into the sky, looking up, and transforming into three balls of smoke and ash that whirled around as they soared higher. Reaching a massive height, they collided, reforming Callum as his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "OHH YEEAAHHH!", he yelled as he backflipped and started falling, using his Smoke Thrusters to accelerate his decent. As Callum slammed into the observation deck, the impact caused a massive explosion that reduced the Conduit to ashes and destroyed the anchor, causing the antennas and metal siding on the Needle to come apart and sending it crashing down to the area below. The ashes from the explosion came together in a tornado-like fashion, reforming Callum, who immediately called Soren. "Yeah, Soren! Let's go find some Prime Conduits and get some new powers. We own the streets!", he yelled the adrenaline pumping through his veins. "Take it easy, a few streets... in the immediate vicinity. The D.U.P still own the other 98%", Soren said, knowing that they still had a lot of work to do. "But we kicked 'em off the Space Needle, man!", Callum said. "You knocked out their comms centre, okay? They may be deaf, but they're not dumb. Kicking the D.U.P completely out of Seattle is going to take time. And we just got here.", Soren said.

Callum felt as though he needed to send a stronger message to the D.U.P. and Claudia directly. And what better way than vandalizing their own flag? "Well, you know what they say: 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single kick-ass tag.'", Callum said, pulling out his book and flipping through some designs. Soren was confused; he was pretty sure that wasn't how the saying goes. "Who says that?", Soren asked, embarrassing Callum; he thought he hung up already. "The Chinese... probably.", he said, pulling out a can of spray paint and closing his book. 

Finished with his project, Callum called Soren while balancing crouched on the very top of the Space Needle. "Hey, man. Can you see it from down there?", he said, smirking to himself. "Ha, are you kidding? People in Portland can see it!", Soren said, chuckling as the D.U.P. flag now flew a double-headed eagle, with a star shape in the center dividing the two halves. "I just wanna let the DUPs know I'm here, man.", Callum said smugly, knowing that somewhere, somehow, Claudia was watching as he took her operation apart, piece by piece. Meanwhile, at a D.U.P. building, pictures of the Space Needle began flooding in, people believing it to be the work of a Bio-Terrorist. "Who the hell is that?", a man at a computer monitor asked. Claudia herself walked up to see the video surveillance show a boy in a blue hoodie and red beanie stand atop Seattle's most famous landmark. "That's not one of the three who escaped...", the man said as Claudia stared at the screen, her green eyes never wavering from the Conduit who came all the way to Seattle to find her. 


	6. Chasing the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum gets a tip on a Conduit who escaped and tracks them down.

"'High drama' at the Pacific Science Center today as an unidentified man scaled Seattle's iconic Space Needle and attached an enormous banner to its spire. And while the meaning of the flags symbol and the identity of the 'Banner Man' both remain mysteries, what is clear is that Seattle's Bio-Terrorist population has just grown by one.", a news report said, muffled by glass shop windows. Callum stood with a crowd around a TV shop playing this message and chuckled a bit. "'Banner Man.' How lame, right?", he said, trying to divert any suspicions he thought the crowd may have had of him. "In other Bio-Terrorist news...", the news report began, catching Callum's ear. "Seattle's 'Freak Week' continues as the mysterious Bio-Terrorist sniper continued his rampage with three more random killings on that city's streets yesterday, bringing the total to 21 innocent citizens slain in the week since the Bio-Terrorist serial killer began this deadly spree. For USTV News, I'm Charles Sandahl.", the TV report said. This intrigued and worried Callum; a Conduit serial killer? Sounded like an opportunity to look good and get some new powers. "Callum, sorry man, I got hung up, I found out that there's this Bio-Terrorist maniac-", Soren said before Callum cut him off. "I just heard. And can we not use the 'B-word'?", he said, getting tired of hearing 'Bio-Terrorist' when he would've simply said Conduit. "What? 'Bio-Terr-", Soren said again. "You know that's a slur invented by the D.U.P. to make people afraid of Conduits.", Callum said. "Whatever you wanna call him, step-prince, let's just track him down and find out what he can tell us about Claudia.", Soren said, rolling his eyes. "AND drain his powers.", Callum added. "Okay, fine... 'and drain his powers'.", Soren said, getting a report. "It's gonna work-", Callum asserted. "They just found a body at 5th and Briar. Go check it out. But promise me you'll be inconspicuous.", Soren said. 

As Callum made his way to the crime scene, Soren called again. "Listen, it's going to be police officers at this crime scene, okay? Not DUPs. I'm here to support you, but killing cops...", Soren said, worrying Callum's headstrong attitude with his powers might hurt the wrong people. "Okay, okay, I'll put my phasers on 'stun'.", Callum said, wrapping up a battle that occurred with an APC full of DUPs. Seeing the crime scene, Callum jumped over the police tape and hurriedly Smoke Dashed into a vent, taking to the rooftops. "Okay, I did it your way, I'm past your boys in blue.", he said. "Thank you.", Soren said, glad that Callum wouldn't be on the police's list as well as the D.U.P.'s. "Although what's the use of having smoke powers if you're not going to use 'em?", Callum mumbled, which Soren did manage to hear through the phone. "Ah, there's the step-prince I know and tolerate.", Soren said. Callum dropped down into an alley and found the body. And the most elaborate design for a death ritual ever. Clearly the work of a Conduit. "Well, I found the victim. Definitely the work of a Conduit. Very... showy.", Cal said, staring at all the glowing beams of light that formed the design around the victim. The beams led into a skull with two needles crossed over each other. "Okay, I need you to take a couple pictures of the crime scene and send them to me. Anything that might give us a lead.", Soren said, prompting the Conduit to use his phone to snap a picture of the victim's face. "Sending you the picture, but I think he blinked.", he said, snapping another pic of the victim's body. "There's your wounds.", he said, sending the pictures to Soren. "I wonder what kinda power did this? Fireblast? Lasers? Flesh-eating death gaze? Oh, I wouldn't mind absorbing a little flesh-eating death gaze.", Callum mused to himself and the cop. "Even if the guy who did this is a Prime Conduit, we still don't know if this power transfer thing is gonna work.", Soren said, still skeptical. "Well, if it does, my first victim is gonna be whoever thought up the name 'Banner Man'.", Callum said, cracking his knuckles. "You really need to let that go.", Soren said, rolling his eyes. Callum's ears perked up when he heard the all-too-familiar sound of police sirens. "Wait, I think I hear sirens.", he said. "Let me check... okay, the D.U.P.'s just set up a cordon near there. Warned the Seattle P.D. to stay away.", Soren said, bothered that the DUP's are getting in the way again. "Has to be the Conduit. I'll check it out.", Callum said, noticing a large convoy of APCs rolling down the highway. Figuring that they must be headed to the new crime scene, Callum jumped from the roof and used his thrusters and Smoke Dashes to land of the overpass and then jumped down to the lower level, Smoke Dashing into a vent to get to the roof. "Chances are there's going to be a lot of D.U.P. there. Maybe with 'shoot to kill' orders", Soren warned. "Hate to interrupt the pep talk, but any luck with the first victim on your face database?", Callum asked, hoping to know why the man was killed. "Nothing. Victim must not've had a record.", Soren said, surprising Callum. "Huh, from the looks of the guy, I would've expected at a drug bust or two.", Callum said, remembering that the guy smelled of marijuana. He then proceeded to engage the D.U.P. in a rooftop battle, firing smoke at the soldiers until they couldn't breathe. Once he needed to move up, he jumped off the building as used his thrusters and Smoke Dashes to maneuver around the bullets, landing and Smoke Dashing into a vent, launching into the air and Comet Dropping, knocking out some soldiers. Whenever he had a height advantage, Callum took the chance to Comet Drop the soldiers, knocking them out and blowing away their cover. Having enough of the roofs, Callum Comet Dropped into the alley below, startling the soldiers who were busy supporting the rooftop gunners. "It's the killer! Get the Bio-Terrorist!", one of the soldiers exclaimed causing Cal to roll his eyes. "No, it's, 'get the Conduit!' Jeez, and good luck with that.", he said, attacking the soldiers nearby with his chain. Pain shot up his back when he realized that he was getting riddled with bullets by an Enforcer, causing him to Smoke Dash into a vent and escape from the fight for a second, draining a vent to replenish his energy. Deciding to finish the fight with style, Callum crouched and gathered as much smoke and ash as he could, before disintegrating and launching into the air as three balls of ash. Reforming at the height of his launch, Callum backflipped and used his thrusters to guide him to the mass of soldiers gathered around the Enforcer, Orbital Dropping them and blasting away all their concrete, smoke and ash reforming Callum.

"Well, this Conduit's sure got a style. Kind of nouveau...sick", Callum said, impressed with the Conduit's ability to make their killings seem beautiful. "Okay, I'll just need...", Soren said, before Callum predicted his saying. "Let me guess, 'face and wounds'?", he said. "If it's not too much trouble.", Soren said, Callum using his camera app and snapping a picture of the man's face. "There you go. Stand by for wounds.", he said, aiming his phone higher to photograph the upside-down man's body. "No need, got a hit on the face. Guy's a drug dealer, rap sheet a mile long. Look around for his stash, might give us a clue why the sniper chose him.", Soren said, interrupting Callum. The boy in question looked around and found a leather duffel bag, inspecting it. Before Callum could even see what was inside, the bag was destroyed by a beam of magenta light. "Holy...!", he yelled, falling backward from the beam. He looked up to see a magenta light glowing from a billboard, aiming right at him. "'Holy' what? What 'holy'? Callum, you okay?", Soren said in a panic, Callum no better, running for the billboard. "Found our sniper. Going after him.", he said, Soren telling him to be careful. Climbing a wall, the sniper shot a continuous beam of magenta light that burned Callum's skin. "Wait, don't impale me. I come in peace.", he yelled at the sniper who either didn't hear him or didn't care because they kept on firing. Turning the corner, he Smoke Dashed into a vent and jumped out the other side. "It's okay, I'm one of you... I mean, one of us.", Callum yelled, as the sniper took off at an incredible speed, leaving purple afterimages of their body, who seemed to run with their arms behind them. Weird. "Slow down, I'm not going to hurt you. Especially if you don't slow down.", Callum yelled as the sniper dashed off a building and ran for the hills. "Stop! Come baaaacck... Nice meeting you.", he said, unable to keep up. "You get 'em?", Soren asked. "No. He ran. Fast. Like, really, really fast. 'Conduit' fast, man. Screw flesh-eating death gaze, I want that!", Callum said, out of breath. "Don't be greedy.", Soren joked, and Callum noticed the neon signs that the coffee shops use. "Funny thing, though. Just before every shot, the neon sign behind him dimmed a little.", Callum said, remembering the billboard. "Must be his power source. Head back to the sign, see what you can find.", Soren said. Callum agreed and Smoke Dashed through a vent and to the roof, seeing the billboard the Conduit was holed up in. "You should see what this guy can do. Like lasers or something. Man, it'd be great to have a one-two punch like that and smoke when I get to Claudia.", Callum said, imagining Claudia cowering behind some concrete while he fired a laser to chip away at the rock. "Well, we've got to find him again first.", Soren said pulling Callum out of his daydream. 

As Callum climbed the ladder, he was greeted by an unusual sight. "Well, one thing this place tells me about our sniper is that **she's** a sniper-ette.", Callum said, taking in the weirdness of the den. "Wait, what?", Soren said, confused. "You should see this, Soren, it's like the girliest sniper's nest you've ever seen.", Callum said, chuckling a little. "What does that even mean?", Soren said, still confused. "I don't know, it's just... 'girled up'. Girl stuff, the name 'Runaan' burned into the wall in girly handwriting, and it's definitely the best-smelling assassin's den you could ever be in.", Callum said, not mentioning the white bras and pink panties on a clothesline. "Listen, just... send me some photos of whatever you think might help.", Soren said. Callum pulled out his camera app and snapped a picture of the name Runaan. "I wonder who 'Runaan' is", Soren thought out loud. "Can't help you there.", Callum said, the name not ringing any bells. Not wanting to expose some girls underwear, Callum instead opted to snap a pic of the purple boots laying near a cooler. "Okay, I can see how you might think those are women's shoes.", Soren said, realizing how small they are. "Yeah, they're like, size 'negative something'.", Callum said, comparing the boot to his own foot. Callum then noticed the book laying on a mattress, a book people commonly associate with women. Snapping a picture of it, he immediately sent it to Soren, who was just more confused if anything. "Seriously? A serial killer who read 'Love Amongst the Dragons'?", he asked, not believing a "hardened killer" could read such a romantic novel. "Yeah, 'Love Amongst the Dragons' is like the cooler, female 'Catcher in the Rye'.", Callum said because Twilight did not fucking count. The only thing left in the billboard was... her underwear. Callum, despite leaving behind his shy teenage-self years ago, still felt perverted to snap a picture of some girl's panties. Sending the picture to Soren, Callum was thankful that he could not see his blushing face right now. "Okay, those definitely... very likely belong to a woman.", Soren said, sounding guilty. "At least I'm not alone here...", Callum thought, noticing a purple glow in the corner of the billboard. Looking closer with his camera, he noticed it was a picture that was split between the billboard and the building a few feet away. Alining the pictures, he snapped the photo, realizing that it was a picture of someone. An elf with marking across his nose and face, his horns curving upward, and his long hair in two braids that shaped his face, the rest fell behind him. "I guess this could also count as 'interesting'?", Callum asked. "'Interesting', all right. It's a long shot, but maybe if I run this through the database, cross-referencing the name 'Runaan', we'll get lucky.", Soren said, plugging the picture and the keyword in. 

A small silence passed before Callum interjected with an idea in his head. "You know, if I had smoke AND lasers, I could, like, put on light shows in our living room.", Callum said, Soren actually agreeing for once. "That'd be putting your powers to good use.", he said. 

Another silence. "You know, Soren, I was just thinking about the bras.", Callum said, his face turning red again. "Well, stop it. Seriously, just... get some help.", Soren said, referencing Micheal Jordan. 

Yet another silence. "I'm thinking... when I get to Claudia, I'm gonna lead with smoke, and when I got her on the ropes... ZAP! And I'll whip out the laser show.", Callum said, not realizing how that could be taken so out of context. "It's good to have a plan. Hey, I got a hit on the photo! Name's 'Runaan Allen'. One arrest two years ago for minor drug possession. Get this: found dead two months later in an alley. Cause of death: 'a single puncture wound of unknown origin through the chest. I'm sending you an address of the alley.", Soren said, finally putting an end to the awkward silences. "Yeah, our girl's definitely got a thing against drug dealers.", Callum said, exposing the elephant in the room. "Sure seems like it...", Soren said. "It's weird, though. If she's just killing drug dealers, why do the news reports make it sound like she's picking off random victims? Like it could be anybody?", Callum asked, not getting a satisfactory answer from the cop. "You'd think that the D.U.P. would WANT people to know that the killings weren't random. That if you're not a drug dealer, you're not in danger. That'd sure bring down the panic level.", Callum explained. "So you're saying, what, that the D.U.P. is TRYING to scare people? Their job is to CONTROL the panic.", Soren said, not entirely believing the Conduit.

After arriving at the Paramount district and clearing out a few D.U.P. scanning stations, Callum arrived at the alley where Runaan was killed. "I'm at the alley, but there's a bunch of heavily armed goons here. Looks like a drug deal's going down.", Callum said. "I hate to go all cop on you, but it's the duty of every citizen to step up when they witness a crime in progress.", Soren said. Callum managed to make very quick work of the dealers since they weren't expecting a Conduit to show up. "Did you destroy the drugs?", Soren asked. "No. They don't belong to me and it's my duty as a citizen to respect other peoples' property", Callum said, coming to a hallway with Runaan's name written in a spiral around the walls. "Soren, you should see this, man. Speedy-Gone-Crazy is a tagger. She's a pretty damn good one, too.", he said, referring to his own past-time of spray painting graffiti. "Yeah, well, don't forget she's a murderer, alright? Pretty damn good one too.", Soren said, mimicking Callum's last line. Callum himself began taking photos of the scene, starting with a picture of a portrait of Runaan. "She sets a lovely altar. It's actually kind of touching.", Callum said, reminding him of Aunt Amaya's own pilgrimage to her family shrine where she pays respects to her ancestors. Supposedly, Callum's family was also buried there after their accident. "Yeah, well, there's good touching and... bad touching.", Soren said, unsure of how obsessive the shrine was. Callum then snapped a picture of the Conduit's handwriting as it spiraled. "Gotta admit, the girl makes a pretty mean vortex.", he said. Turning to find a glowing picture of Runaan sitting in a chair next to "RIP Runaan", Callum snapped a picture of it. "Okay, that is full-blown crazy.", Soren said, surprised at how refined the picture was. "So the girl stops off for take-out, comes here to sit with neon-Runaan to tell him about her day while she chows down.", Callum said, noticing the seafood boxes strewn about the place. "You know, Olaf's has a location on Alaskan Way. Supposed to have one of the biggest neon signs in the city.", Soren said. "Hey, if I had neon powers and a chowder jones, that's where I'd hang. On my way.", Callum said, onto something. 


	7. Catching Some Rays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum follows up on his investigation on the new Conduit sniper and heads to Olaf's to investigate.

Arriving at Olaf's via rooftop, Callum looked down at the streets and witnessed a protest going on. Being a rebel himself, Callum dropped down to street level and approached the protest, a protester approaching him. "Hey mister, sign our petition to get illegal drugs off the streets! Unless we stop this poison, more of our youth will turn out like Rayla Allen.", the protester said, confusing the boy. "'Rayla Allen'?", Callum repeated, not knowing who this Rayla is. "Her body was corrupted by drugs. And the drugs turned her into a Bio-Terrorist. We need your help to keep our streets clean of that kind of filth.", they said, unknowingly offending the Conduit. "Filth, huh?", he asked calmly, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, you're either fighting with us or against us.", they said walking off. Callum wanted to break up the rally, but he knew that would make him a hypocrite; why would he say he fights for freedom against the D.U.P. when he's denying the people's right to protest? Deciding to leave, he looked for the neon sign this "Rayla" would try to come back to. "What's the name of that book... you know, the one that says, 'Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone'?", Callum said, the protester calling him a radical in response. 

"Wow, I'm impressed with your impulse control. But maybe you should wait up by the neon sign, yeah? Might be less conspicuous that way. Besides, she'll probably head there to recharge.", Soren said, monitoring Callum's action via security cameras. "Yeah, plus there's probably fewer people I want to kick the crap out of up there.", Callum said, still hearing the chants of the anti-Conduit protesters. "That too.", Soren said, concurring with the Conduit. "I was the Bible, by the way... what I was quoting. It was the Bible, if you... if you were wondering.", Callum said, looking for a vent to dash through. "I wasn't.", Soren said. Callum Smoke Dashed through a vent to the roof and came up behind the neon sign. "Okay, just need a place to hide.", he said, looking around and coming upon a few large boxes. "Okay, this is good. Surveillance, hobo style.", he said, dragging the boxes back a bit and crouching behind them, waiting for Rayla to show up.

As evening turned to night, Callum was starting to wonder if this Conduit was ever going to show up. He was about to leave and call it quits when a purple streak ran by and stopped on the rooftop right in front of him. Looking out just enough to not be seen, Callum saw who this Rayla was. She was an elf if her pointed ears and black horns said anything. Her hair was a snow white, and her skin was pale. Her bangs shaped her face which had a pair of amethyst purple eyes and a lighter purple pair of tattoos under her eyes, resembling tears. Her shirt was a shade of aqua green that he couldn't really describe, which had a black hood attached. She wore dark red shorts and had some tight black stocking that were ripped in some places. She had some black boots, and she wore a worn green coat to protect her from the rain. "Oh, man tha smells guid. Uch, why didnae take some cash aff thae dealers? Money, why dae ye hate me? Be ma friend, money. Come tae me... Let's bond.", she said in a Scottish accent. She was completely oblivious to Callum's presence and that's exactly what he needed. He Smoke Dashed out of his hiding spot and grabbed her arm, shocking the elf as their hands glowed. "WHA-", she yelled, surprised by his sudden appearance. "It's okay. It's... God-", he said, feeling a strange burning sensation as their joined hands glowed a bright purple.

_A teenage girl with her hands raised, police sirens and crime scene tape, someone sleeping on the sidewalk, curled up, a needle, a girl crawling through a maze, two people being controlled by strings connected to needles, a silhouette of someone familiar, a woman with a purple glow in her hands, targets._

Callum and Rayla came to on the roof of Olaf's, the human Conduit's arms glowing a deep indigo. They struggled to get up, but Rayla took one look at the man and knew he was with the D.U.P. Callum felt a familiar sensation when he got Smoke and felt that he needed to touch her arms again to complete his control. Taking one step to lunge at Rayla, Callum dashed forward covered in neon light, running right into the fence behind her as she dodged. "Uh... Not this again!", he whined, dashing over to Rayla again, who continued to avoid him. "Just like last time Callum, concentrate.", he said to himself. Dashing to Rayla for the third time, she avoided him again by hopping over the railing and speeding away, arms behind her like a ninja...or Sonic, take your pick. "Oh, no, no, no... you're not getting away... I'm on this now. Speed of light, baby!", Callum said, using his new ability, Light Speed, to chase after the elf, both leaving behind trails of purplish-pink neon light. "Juist leave me alone!", she yelled behind her, speeding into an alley. Callum was right behind her, her own power betraying her. They ran through the place where Ralya shot Callum from and she ran into an alley, the human believing her to be cornered. She surprised him by using her power to run straight up a wall. "You can run up walls?!", he exclaimed, trying to do the same. He succeeded and ended up giggling to himself. "You gotta be kidding me.", he said, spotting the trail of light that Rayla left behind, continuing the chase. She tried shooting him again, before running off the monorail station roof and onto its tracks. Callum tried but failed to land on the rails, continuing from the road, running around cars while following the elf. "They aw deservit it", she yelled, thinking the Conduit was working with the D.U.P. to punish her for her killings. Running into another alley, Rayla ran up a wall, Callum following suit. Running through a rooftop garden, Rayla jumped off the roof, Callum following and overshooting the building landing in the next alley below. "A' juist neit a few more days!", she said as Callum ran along the ground, following the elf as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Running back to the roof, Callum was met with a red laser trying to burn his face off. "A have tae finish whit A came tae dae!", she yelled, cutting through another alley, losing Callum with the tight corners. The boy ran right into the girl who used her neon energy to blast him back with a radial burst. "A am no' gang back tae Curdun Cay", she yelled, doubling back through the alleys, Callum following close behind, the pair of them arriving at the Crocodile.

Rayla ran to the Crocodile's roof, Callum following close behind. She was out of breath but was still shocked that the boy kept up. Callum held his hands out, trying to come peacefully and show that he didn't want to hurt her, shuffling closer to the Neon Conduit. Rayla looked down and saw the glass ceiling that they were standing on, and smirked at the boy, using her radial burst ability to shatter the glass, causing both Conduits to fall to the area below. "No, no, no!", Callum yelled, trying to grab Rayla's hand as he fell. As they both landed on the ground, Callum brushed away some broken glass. "God lady, you have got to calm down, alright? Just relax, I just wanna-", he said, aching from the fall a bit. "Ye're no' takin me back!", Rayla yelled, launching Callum with her neon burst. The world seemed to move in slow-motion as Cal flew through the air and Rayla drained the large neon sign that said 'MARKET', darkening the small area. "A am no' gang back tae Curdun Cay!", she yelled, speeding to a scaffolding and taking up a sniper position. Callum ran for cover; he didn't have a single offensive capability on him! As Callum ran to the scaffolding, Rayla sped to a set of crates, firing lasers at the boy. Callum didn't notice that he was next to a neon sign for sushi as he got hit by the lasers, prompting him to run after her. She ran off again, but Cal then noticed the upside-down neon sign for Emerald Cab Co. and he reached out to it like a smoke vent and drained the neon gas and light from the sign. "Good news, less juice for her. Bad news, I'm not a night person.", Callum said, running for a small pile of neon signs. He tried to drain them, but Rayla knew what he was trying to do and burned him with a laser. Callum ran for cover, his fast-healing ability unable to keep up with the non-stop attack, and found another pile of signs and promptly drained them. "DUP Bastard!", Rayla yelled, realizing his trick. "Well, maybe stop trying to kill me and we can let the beer signs live to see another day!", Callum yelled back, trying to drain a coffee shop sign and getting interrupted again by Rayla burning him. Running back and trying to put something between them, Callum ran back to the sushi sign and drained it. "A am no gang back!", Rayla yelled again, her lasers becoming less powerful. Dodging a few laser shots, Callum managed to drain a neon sign for Katie's Irish Pub. "Na, A'm no' weak anymore. No' anymore!", Rayla said, her constant laser being replaced by basic neon shots as Callum drained the coffee shop sign. Rayla jumped to the second floor as Callum drained the seventh sign in the room. "Would you listen to me? I'm not with Claudia!", he yelled, trying to stop the unnecessary fight. "A bet yer ane o' her goddamn robots!", Rayla yelled back, trying to stop Callum from draining more signs. "HOW MANY TIME... wait... are there really robots?", he asked, wondering if any of the DUPs he took down already were actually robots as he tried to drain the eighth neon source. Rayla kept breaking his concentration, but when she went back to ground level to get a better angle, he managed to drain it. "I just want some of your powers, that's all!", he said, looking for the last two. "Juist leave me alone!", she yelled, firing more neon beams at the boy. Callum could see the last two signs, but he needed to lure Rayla away from the signs. Using Light Speed, he ran up the wall and used Neon Thrusters to glide to the balcony. Rayla wasn't letting up yet and Callum took cover behind some chairs. Rayla kept trying to find an angle, and when she lept away, Callum took his chance and drained a large neon 'M' sign. The last neon sign in sight, Callum ran for it and drained it quickly before the elf could interfere, blanketing the room in darkness, save for the two Conduits. 

"Come on powers, I know you're in there. Surprise me.", Callum said looking at his hands. With Rayla on the defensive, Callum followed her neon trail and raised his arm, firing a neon beam that narrowly missed the elf. "Oh, I am so going to use this!", he yelled, hyped about having a new power. "You can run, but you can't hide... where the hell are you?", he said following the trail to see the elf trying to hide, and hitting her with a neon beam, sending her running. "Stop it!", she yelled, hitting Cal with her Radial Burst. "Huh, clever girl.", he said. "A am no' gang back!", Rayla yelled, running for cover. A Conduit shootout ensued, each shooting neon beams at the other with the occasional Radial Burst from Rayla when Callum got to close, and a shriek when she got hit. Eventually, Callum out-sniped the Moonshadow Sniper and she collapsed near where they both fell in, Callum landing on his feet in front of her. Rayla shielded herself with her arm, but Callum just grabbed her hands, her four fingers fitting nicely between Cal's five. "No, no!", she yelled as the purplish-pink glow returned. Rayla wrested her right arm free and tried to punch Callum away, but he grabbed her wrist and held it above her head, both Conduits grunting in discomfort. Callum looked to the elf's face and saw it melt away as he saw her memories.

_As a little girl, A'd niver thought it'd be me, thon A'd be ane o thaim. Ma powers were... a surprise. Ma parents turnit me in, they knew what the government wad dae tae people like me an' they did it anyway. A didnae know whit tae dae, but ma uncle Runaan juist grabbit our coats... an we ran. Thae were hard days on the streets, movin from city tae city, na comfort anywhere. Until we met some dealers an man they hookit us up. The drugs, the drugs were heaven......but then we aye wantit more. An the withdrawals were agony, aye lookin for a fix. An whan the dealers find oot, whan they know hou tae use ye. The drugs, the dealers, they make ye dae things that- oh god, Runaan. A'm... The government pickit me up easy enouch after thon. But it wasnae a regular jail. They trainit me tae shoot, taught me hou tae kill. Sae on the day o the crash, A escapit wi aw thae skills. Iverything A needit tae dae tae set things right. Uncle, A promise, ivery dealer A find, A'm gonna burn yer name intae their chest! Na ane else is gonna suffer like we did. Na brother, nobody else._

Callum came to and barely made out the figure of Soren run through, his vision blurry from the memory trip. "Hey Callum... Callum, you alright man?", Soren said, kneeling over Cal's body. "What happened?", he asked. "Ah, you did good. You did good, buddy. Come on, get up. Get up. Good job.", Soren said, helping Callum to his feet, who almost fell back when Soren caught him again. "Hey, you did good. I know just where to put filth like this, somewhere where Claudia won't find her and she won't be hurting anybody else.", Soren said, moving to arrest Rayla. "Hey... no, no, no... she's just killing drug dealers, man.", Callum said, tired and nonchalantly. "Killing? Callum, 'murdering' drug dealers.", Soren said, not knowing that Rayla was coming to behind him. "What do you think I'm doing to the DUP?", Callum asked, knowing that he's probably hurt plenty of DUP soldiers. "What you have to do to save your aunt and everyone else back home!", Soren said, trying to make their actions different. Yet, when Callum saw her memories, Rayla's actions could be justified. The dealers took advantage of her and her uncle, resulting in the one person who she could count on getting killed by her own hand. He couldn't imagine her behind bars, to him it wasn't right. "No man, she goes free.", Callum said, moving to help Rayla. "No! Dude, no way. Look, just because you have the same affliction, not 'gift'... 'affliction' doesn't mean that we're gonna pick up every piece of trash we find.", Soren said, the younger man glaring at him. "Look, I'm never going to abandon you, alright? Not ever - this one goes in a cage.", Soren said, and Rayla tried to run for it, but she was too weak to use her powers still and Soren caught her. 

Callum realized that he had a choice to make. He could either teach Rayla self-control and help her dismantle Seattle's illegal drug trade, or he could mold her to be a remorseless killer and unleash her on anti-Conduit activists. 

Deciding on the first option, Callum watched Rayla struggle in Soren's grasp. "She'll be my responsibility!", he yelled, catching the surprise of the cop. "Yeah, cause responsibility's not something you excel at.", Soren said as Rayla was taken aback. Someone sticking up for her? This hasn't happened since Runaan and her left home. "I got this.", Callum said, giving Soren a begging look to give her a chance. Soren shoved the elf towards his "brother", who looked to him. "Fine, I'm here for Katolis, not to haul in Bio-Terrorists.", Soren snapped at the two of them, walking away. "A'm a Conduit!", Rayla snapped back, Callum grabbing her arm to calm her down. "He's cool. He's normally cool, just... not today.", he said. "Yeah. Let's talk.", she said, walking outside, Callum following after looking back at the cop, wondering why he was so angry at Conduits.


	8. Light It Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum employs Rayla's help to track down more Core Relays and expand Callum's new Neon arsenal

After exchanging numbers with Rayla, she ran off and Callum called Soren, needing his help. "Hey Soren...", Callum said sheepishly, hoping his "brother" had cooled off. "Oh, is the meeting of the Conduit Club over?", Soren said sassily. Clearly not cooled off yet. "I just wanted to talk to her, to see if she could help us out, okay?", Callum said, getting shot at by the DUPs for trying to knock a drone out of the night sky. Moments passed in silence, and Callum could feel the look on Soren's face. "You're not doing your 'pouting Soren' thing now, are you? You know I hate that!", he said. "Someone like that shouldn't be free to roam the streets.", Soren said, referring to Rayla being a killer, but Callum knew he also meant being a Conduit. "Are you forgetting who else is 'someone like that'?", Callum asked. Soren kept making it seem like Callum wasn't flawed like other Conduits. "You're different.", Soren said, massaging his temples. He, his father, Amaya, and Gren all carried a secret when the accident happened, and if Callum found out, it would crush him. "Yes, I know. I'm your 'brother'. And your 'brother' is asking for your help in trying to stay alive. And if you won't do it for me... do it for Katolis.", Callum said, hoping to appeal to Soren's goodness for humanity, at least. "Okay, what do you need?", Soren asked, giving in to Callum's wish. "I need to see what this new power can do. And you're my 'go-to' guy when it comes to finding the Core Relays.", Callum said, draining a DUP drone and speeding off. "There. I sent it. For Katolis AND you.", Soren said, text Callum some coordinates for the discovered Core Relays. "Thanks. I'll let you know what I get.", Callum said, shooting a downed drone and absorbing its Blast Shard. "I don't wanna know what you 'get'.", Soren said, sounding even grouchier than before. "Goodbye, 'pouting Sor-bear'.", Callum said, hanging up and calling his new Conduit friend. "Hey Light Bright, you know those glowing boxes the DUPs put up all over town...?", he asked. Hopefully, with a new set of eyes that could do more than what Soren and the Seattle PD could do, he'd be able to find even more Core Relays. "Yeah, A'v seen 'em. A think they use thae tae track us.", Rayla said, ignoring Callum's nickname on purpose to not give her a reason to punch him in the junk later. "Well, I figured out a way to use 'em to, like, tap into more powers for me. I'm about to try it out on the Neon Power you just gave me...", Callum said, enjoying the high speed he could run now using Light Speed. "'Gave' ye?", Rayla said, not believing she gave him permission to leech her power off her and beat her with it. "...AND I thought maybe you'd like to tag along. Maybe talk me through the new stuff.", Callum said. "Eh, A'v already baggit ma scumbag dealer limit for the day, sae why the hell no'?", Rayla said, liking the prospect of doing something with another friendly Conduit. "That's my sweet girl.", Callum said flirtily. "Screw ye.", Rayla said, still sore about losing their fight. "There's supposed to be one of those things at Second and Main.", Callum said, looking at the coordinates for the first Core Relay. "Yeah, A'v seen it before. Meet ye thare.", Rayla said, hanging up. 

As Callum ran to the first Core Relay, someone cheered him on as he ran past them. Seemed that his good deeds weren't going unnoticed. After knocking out some D.U.P. cameras, Callum finally made it to the Core Relay, Rayla standing a bit further back. "Hey, Rayla? It's over here.", he said, pointing to the machine. "A'm cool here. Conduit trackers an A dinnae get along.", Rayla said, taking another step back, her face being illuminated by the neon power on her arms. "Well, wait until you see this!", Callum said, shooting the cap off the Core Relay. "Ye're on yer own, C.", Rayla said as Callum absorbed his new power. In the ensuing vision, Callum saw himself shoot weak spots that were marked on an enemy. Shooting them in the blue area around their legs suspended them in mid-air while shooting them in the red area on their heads obliterated them. His vision over, Callum's arms glowed a purple light instead of the usual smoke and embers. He also noticed Rayla ditched him. "The hell, lady?", he thought, noticing two D.U.P. Pawns on the next rooftop. "Hey, you guys seen a girl...? About yay high, white hair, a thing for purple and moonberries...?", he asked, getting nothing but raised rifles. Aiming and seeing blue and red areas, Callum shot a Neon Beam at the legs of a Pawn, suspending and subduing him. "Whoa... just winged him.", Callum whispered to himself in amazement, shooting the other shortly after. "You're welcome!", he yelled to the subdued enemies as he got a call from Rayla. "Hey, A heard gunfire. Telt ye thae things can track ye.", she said, matter-of-factly. "I think they were just out on patrol.", Callum said, not thinking the Core Relays doubled as a tracking device. "Well, A found another o' thae things. A left ye signs tae find. See it? It's a Neon marker.", she said, referring to the scorch marks left behind by her powers. "Got it...", he said, spotting one of the markers. "Juist follow those.", she said as Callum used Light Speed to follow the trail. Following the markers, Callum came across a couple of bodies of DUPs, neon lights burned into their skin. "Hey Rayla. Just stumbled across a bit of your handiwork. Think ya maybe want to dial it down a notch?", he half-scolded through the phone. "Gotta feit ma fury, dude.", Rayla said nonchalantly. "Or maybe you don't feed the fury - It'll starve to death and you become a people person. Like me.", he said. "Or! Or maybe ye can bite me!", Rayla said, her temper flaring up and flipping the phone off. Callum saw so much of himself in her, it kinda terrified him. As he came around to a D.U.P. Scanning Station, Callum realized the problem with only having Neon Beam and Laser Insight. He could deal with the Pawns and Knights, but the structures made by the DUPs were pretty sturdy and he was already low on Neon energy. Backing off and looking for a source, Callum decided to drain a Neon sign for a Wi-Fi Cafe. Heading back to the Scanning Station, Callum defeated the soldiers, subduing one by using Light Speed to daze and confuse him, leaving him coiled on the ground in Neon beams. 

Callum arrived near the marker to witness Rayla fighting some drug dealers. "Yeah, tak that, ye poison-peddlin' garbage! It's whit ye deserve!", she yelled, noticing Callum run upon the scene. "Hey, Smokes! Ye want in on this?", she yelled, giving him a nickname like he had given her, except it worked better than 'Light Bright'. Callum subdued the remaining dealers and blasted the cap off the Core Relay. Absorbing the power, Callum saw himself generate a ball of neon gas and throw at an enemy, levitating them and freezing them in time. "Dude, ye okay?", Rayla asked. "Yeah. You still need help?", Callum asked, hearing gunfire going off. "A dinnae neit it, but A'll take it!", she yelled. Callum threw a Stasis Bubble over to some dealers and Rayla subdued him while he was frozen. Callum simply took out the last two with Neon Beam. "Ye got this. A'll gae find another ane o' thae things.", Rayla said, speeding off in a flash of magenta. As Callum caught his breath after a night of non-stop action, he got another call from Rayla. "Okay, A think A got the neist ane. Juist keep followin' the markers. Sae, hou'd ye like killin thae dealers? It's a fuzzy joint, isnae it?", Rayla asked, seeming to enjoy Callum's company, even though the mention of killing people put Callum off. Rayla was out for revenge, sure, and he didn't mind that since he wanted Claudia to pay as well, but these dealers weren't like Claudia. She was a Conduit, and they should be able to show restraint. "I just taught 'em a lesson and left 'em to think things over. I didn't kill them.", he said. Before Rayla could interject, he told her what he thought about being superhuman. "Hey, we have powers, they don't. Means we have to be the better people. Cut 'em a little slack now and again. Think about it.", he said. Rayla was glad that they weren't using video chat, cause her face went from defiance to wounded shock. Runaan once made a rule about not using powers unless absolutely necessary, and now, even when she's a fully grown adult woman, Callum's telling her that she had a choice and a responsibility to do the right thing. Regathering her courage, she brushed her weakness off after a brief pause. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever.", she said, hanging up. 

Meeting Rayla near a garden, Callum spotted her and the Core Relay. "Thare it is. Gae ahead an get yer convulsion on.", she said, as Callum blasted open the Core Relay and drained it. Absorbing the power, Callum saw himself fire a supercharged laser, although not a continuous one like Rayla can. At least this one was capable of destroying DUP checkpoints. Callum got out of his vision just in time to see two APCs parked not too far away from him. "We have you surrounded! Surrender!", a DUP trooper yelled at the boy. "You first!", Callum yelled back, firing a Phosphor Beam at the armored vehicle, destroying it in two blasts. Callum moved on the second APC and subdued a Knight, destroying the truck with a Phosphor Beam. Fleeing the scene and following Rayla's markers, Callum came across another group of bodies, these ones, however, weren't burned alive with neon gashes, but simply stuck to the pavement with neon binds. "Rayla, I see that you've started taking these dealers down alive. Can't help but think I had something to with that.", he said in a sing-song voice, earning a small chuckle from the elf. "Yeah, aw ye egomaniacs think ye're the reason for iverything that happens in the world.", she said, earning an eye roll from the human. "No, I don't think I'm the reason for everything. Just your highly visible change in your behavior, that's all.", he said, heading to a DUP scanning station to deal with it, free some civilians, and get a Blast Shard to upgrade his powers. It was a relatively simple task since there were only two guards there. Running up a building and using Light Speed to run on the air between jumps, Callum followed the markers to the top of a tall building and looked down to see Rayla look at him and run away from a fight she was having with the D.U.P. Callum jumped and used a form of his Comet Drop ability to not only defeat the soldiers but crack open the Core Relay as well. Absorbing the power, Callum saw himself performing a Karma Bomb, similar to Orbital Drop. He knocked enemies into the air and then gunned them all down with neon lasers. His vision over, Callum got ready as a three APCs rolled onto the scene and a small firing squad of DUP troops aimed at him. Callum charged a large amount of neon energy through his body, before exploding into a neon vortex, sending every soldier into a Stasis Bubble. A large amount of neon gas reformed the boy and made his body as light as the substance, causing him to float. Callum then flowed the supercharged neon through his arms, turning them into twin Gatling guns and firing a barrage of neon lasers. As time resumed for the soldiers, the beams all transformed into neon binds and subdued them all, trapping them and causing the APCs to explode. "Damn. Dude, whatever that wis, A heard it from here.", she said, genuinely impressed with Callum's proficiency with her power. "You know, anytime you wanna actually hang around for one of these things...", he said, raising his eyebrows. "A'v been thinkin' aboot whit ye says before... aboot the dealers on the streets. The way A see it, goin' after thae ass-scum dealers is juist small time. But goin' up the food chain a little, findin' the supplier. That'll change things!", she said. "Well, I'd be glad to tag along next trip you make up the food chain. Don't think I've ever actually changed anything before.", Callum said, rubbing the back of his head through his beanie. "Sure, it'll be like a date wi' a death toll. A'll give ye a call if anythin' comes up.", Rayla said, unknowingly leaving a small blush on the human boy's face.


	9. Corrupt Rayla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil Karma Chapter
> 
> Callum decides to turn Rayla's aggression towards Anti-Conduit activists and butts heads with Soren.

Arriving at Olaf's via rooftop, Callum looked down at the streets and witnessed a protest going on. Being a rebel himself, Callum dropped down to street level and approached the protest, a protester approaching him. "Hey mister, sign our petition to get illegal drugs off the streets! Unless we stop this poison, more of our youth will turn out like Rayla Allen.", the protester said, confusing the boy. "'Rayla Allen'?", Callum repeated, not knowing who this Rayla is. "Her body was corrupted by drugs. And the drugs turned her into a Bio-Terrorist. We need your help to keep our streets clean of that kind of filth.", they said, unknowingly offending the Conduit. "Filth, huh?", he asked calmly, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, you're either fighting with us or against us.", they said walking off. Callum wanted to break up the rally, so very bad, and he felt that little nudge in his head to push him to do just that. "What's the name of that book... you know, the one that says, 'Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone'?", Callum said, before launching a Cinder Missle at the crowd from point-blank, killing nine people in the process. Soren saw this and was appalled by what he saw. "Callum, what is wrong with you? This is still a free country...", he said, catching the Conduit off-guard. "Soren? Didn't know you were there. Did I just butt-dial you?", Callum said nonchalantly as if he just didn't commit mass murder. "People have a right to speak their minds without being attacked!", he yelled through the phone. "It was self-defense! They had signs... and pamphlets.", he said, feeling a bit guilty before brushing it off. His 'brother' already acted as his conscience, he didn't need his own trying to step in. "You know, on second thought, you would be a hell of a lot less conspicuous staked out near the restaurant's neon sign, alright? She's sure to reload off of it, and you wouldn't give yourself away by picking stupid fights on the sidewalk.", Soren said, making some moonberry tea for the head Cal had been giving him. "They started it!", Callum whined, causing the officer to roll eyes so far he thought he could see his own brain. "Just... go.", Soren said before hanging up.

...

"Come on powers, I know you're in there. Surprise me.", Callum said looking at his hands. With Rayla on the defensive, Callum followed her neon trail and raised his arm, firing a neon beam that narrowly missed the elf. "Oh, I am so going to use this!", he yelled, hyped about having a new power. "You can run, but you can't hide... where the hell are you?", he said following the trail to see the elf trying to hide, and hitting her with a neon beam, sending her running. "Stop it!", she yelled, hitting Cal with her Radial Burst. "Huh, clever girl.", he said. "A am no' goin' back!", Rayla yelled, running for cover. A Conduit shootout ensued, each shooting neon beams at the other with the occasional Radial Burst from Rayla when Callum got to close, and a shriek when she got hit. Eventually, Callum out-sniped the Moonshadow Sniper and she collapsed near where they both fell in, Callum landing on his feet in front of her. Rayla shielded herself with her arm, but Callum just grabbed her hands, her four fingers fitting nicely between Cal's five. "No, no!", she yelled as the purplish-pink glow returned. Rayla wrested her right arm free and tried to punch Callum away, but he grabbed her wrist and held it above her head, both Conduits grunting in discomfort. Callum looked to the elf's face and saw it melt away as he saw her memories.

_As a little girl, A'd niver thought it'd be me, thon A'd be ane o thaim. Ma powers were... a surprise. Ma parents turnit me in, they knew whit the government wad dae tae people like me an they did it anyway. A didnae know whit tae dae, but ma uncle Runaan juist grabbit our coats... an' we ran. Thae were hard days on the streets, movin from city tae city, na comfort anywhere. Until we met some dealers an man they hookit us up. The drugs, the drugs were heaven......but then we aye wantit more. An the withdrawals were agony, always lookin' for a fix. An when the dealers find oot, whan they know hou tae use ye. The drugs, the dealers, they make ye dae things that-! Oh god, Runaan. A'm... The government pickit me up easy enough after thon. But it wasnae a regular jail. They trainit me tae shoot, taucht me hou tae kill. Sae on the day o the crash, A escapit wi aw thae skills. Iverything A needit tae dae tae set things richt. Uncle, A promise, ivery dealer A find, A'm gonna burn yer name intae their chest! na ane else is gonna suffer like we did. Na uncle, nobody else._

Callum came to and barely made out the figure of Soren run through, his vision blurry from the memory trip. "Hey Callum... Callum, you alright man?", Soren said, kneeling over Cal's body. "What happened?", he asked. "Ah, you did good. You did good, buddy. Come on, get up. Get up. Good job.", Soren said, helping Callum to his feet, who almost fell back when Soren caught him again. "Hey, you did good. I know just where to put filth like this, somewhere where Claudia won't find her and she won't be hurting anybody else.", Soren said, moving to arrest Rayla. "Hey... no, no, no... she's just killing drug dealers, man.", Callum said, tired and nonchalantly. "Killing? Callum, 'murdering' drug dealers.", Soren said, not knowing that Rayla was coming to behind him. "What do you think I'm doing to the DUP?", Callum asked, knowing that he's probably hurt plenty of DUP soldiers. "What you have to do to save your aunt and everyone else back home!", Soren said, trying to make their actions different. Yet, when Callum saw her memories, Rayla's actions could be justified. The dealers took advantage of her and her uncle, resulting in the one person who she could count on getting killed by her own hand. He couldn't imagine her behind bars, to him it wasn't right. "No man, she goes free.", Callum said, moving to help Rayla. "No! Dude, no way. Look, just because you have the same affliction, not 'gift'... 'affliction' doesn't mean that we're gonna pick up every piece of trash we find.", Soren said, the younger man glaring at him. "Look, I'm never going to abandon you, alright? Not ever - this one goes in a cage.", Soren said, and Rayla tried to run for it, but she was too weak to use her powers still and Soren caught her.

Callum realized that he had a choice to make. He could either teach Rayla self-control and help her dismantle Seattle's illegal drug trade, or he could mold her to be a remorseless killer and unleash her on anti-Conduit activists. 

Deciding on the second option, he moved to free Rayla and to give Soren a piece of his mind. He grabbed Soren's forearm, gripped it with all his strength and began bending it away from the elf's body. "When it comes to Conduits, it's my call. Not yours, not 'ours'... mine!", Callum said in a voice that was deceptively calm to hide the anger and annoyance with it. Soren broke out of Callum's grasp, clutching his shoulder for a bit; since Callum had enhanced strength, that really hurt. "Oh really? So Mr. Freewheeling bad-ass finally wants to take on some responsibility! And for what, huh? A Bio-Terrorist with a body count?", he said, gesturing to Rayla, who shifted her posture at the remark. Callum got closer so that he could whisper to the older man. "I love you, Sor-bear. Don't make me break that handsome nose of yours.", he said, a shit-eating smirk on his face, knowing that he might very well break the man's nose should he try to insult Rayla in front of him with the tension in the air. Soren was silent for a second, not believing that Callum was being this awful. The boy was a bit of a nuisance ever since he lost his parents, but he was never one to try to kill people and hurt him. Was he always like this, but never had the opportunity to do it, or was something else going on here? "Fine. When she kills someone's father tomorrow, or mother the day after that...  **You're**  the one who will have allowed that to happen!", Soren said, glaring at the boy before walking away. Callum closed his eyes for a second before turning back to Rayla, who was eyeing him carefully. "He'll calm down.", Callum said dismissively. "Yeah.", Rayla said, still slightly out of breath from their fight. "Let's talk.", she said, gesturing towards the other door. Callum followed her after looking back at the door that Soren took out... why did he mention killing fathers? And mothers...?


	10. Trash The Stash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum and Rayla work together to stop Seattle's illegal drug trade and Callum begins to see Rayla in a different way

Callum walked down the sidewalk, passing by a cute couple exiting a coffee shop. "Strange...", he thought, since it was nighttime. But the sight of the couple reminded him of his "date" with Rayla. "Don't wanna show up unprepared...", he thought, draining the neon sign of the coffee shop, refilling his energy. Speeding to the meeting spot, Callum overlooked where Rayla said to meet her. He saw a house on the pier and a boat moored in the back. "Come on lasergirl. Got people to see, and powers to steal...", he said, pacing back and forth on the rooftop. As if on cue, Callum's phone rang and the Caller ID was Rayla's. Before he could get a word out, Rayla talked to him. "Okay, promise ye wonae be mad, but the guid news is thon ye can start without me.", she said in a hurry. ¨Face the danger alone? That IS good news.¨, he said sarcastically. "Listen, A found oot a major drug shipment came i' a couple days ago an' it's storit i' some boats at the marina.", she said. "On some boats at the marina. That's all the details I need.", Callum said, dropping down from the roof. "It's a big shipment, sae it'll probably be houseboats. An' this group uses a dolphin as sort o' their mark, sae A'd leuk for anythin' on a boat wi' a dolphin on it.", she explained. "Better.", Callum said, draining another neon sign to power up. "But dinnae wait for me. Ye niver know whan they'll start offloadin' thon stuff.", Rayla said. Callum jogged to the marina but thought he should ask. "So, what held you up?", he asked. "Girl stuff.", Rayla said and Cal's mind went immediately into the gutter trash. "Eww, what kind of 'girl stuff'?", he asked, now uncomfortable. Rayla rolled her eyes and explained. "Puttin' some serious hurt on this drug-dealin' scumbag until he sold oot his friends an' telt me aw aboot this goddamn drug shipment.", she said, heading to the meeting point. "Rayla, I'm on the docks.", Callum said, just as Rayla got to the meeting point. "An A'm here on the roof. Whit, ye couldnae wait a few more minutes?", Rayla scolded him. "This is why I hate working with girls.", Callum mumbled to himself, shooting a dealer in the legs and binding him. The attack sparked the other dealers in the area to fire rifles at the boy. Callum went to where he saw the most enemies and charged up his Radiant Sweep. The blast knocked three thugs into the air, and Cal promptly knock them out with his twin laser attack. "A telt ye, A got yer ass coverit like a pair o'-", Rayla said, seeing a large blast of neon light. "Thank, got it.", Callum said, not wanting Rayla to finish, draining a Blast Shard from a D.U.P. drone that got hit by Radiant Sweep. "Hard tae be sure from up here, but A think A spottit a couple boats wi' dolphins on 'em.", Rayla said. Callum got sent a few coordinates and ran to one of the closest ones. Running to the back of the houseboat, Callum saw several coolers with dolphins on them. Opening one, he saw several bags of marijuana, which he found weird since that was a legal drug in Washington, but he also found several blocks of cocaine, something that was definitely illegal. "Yep. Drugs.", Callum said. He tried thinking of a way to make the boats stand out so that way Rayla could destroy the drugs. Leaning on a wall, he felt one of his paint cans in his vest pocket and that gave him an idea.

"Hey Rayla, I'm gonna tag all the boats with drugs to make it easier for you to know which to take out.", Callum said, slightly annoying the elf. "Man, canae ye gae, like, five minutes without taggin' stuff?", she said. She liked his art and how he used it as anti-DUP motivation, but she didn't like the smell of paint. That's why whenever she did anything artsy, she used her neon powers. Bright, but not too smelly. Callum merely rolled his eyes at the remark and found a place on the balcony of the houseboat to mark. He made fast work and painted a small dog with a frisbee in its mouth, the frisbee painted like a target. "There you go, made it easy for you.", he said to Rayla as he left the boat to search for the other shipments. As he was leaving, some dealers ran upon him, causing Callum to double back at shoot at the dealers' shins. He managed to subdue two of them before he ran back and threw a Stasis Bubble, knocking one man into the air and saw him immediately subdued by a neon beam from out of nowhere. Callum knew immediately that it was Rayla. "Nice shot. Thanks for the help.", he said, smirking to himself as he subdued four more dealers. He subdued another as he was shot at by another too close to use his neon powers. Uncoiling the chain from his arm, he funneled neon through it and instead of acting as a whip, it became rigid becoming more of a sword or baton. He beat the man with three strikes and moved to cover. "There are a LOT of guys here...", he thought. Subduing another enemy, Callum ran past two and threw a Stasis Bubble at them, knocking one into the air while Callum subdued the other. He then sped to the roof and Radiant Dropped a sniper, heading to the house on the other side and hitting the sniper there with his chain. "Well, no wonder it took me so long, Rayla! You said 'dolphin' but clearly, this is a porpoise'. It's a common mistake.", he said, hearing an audible sigh on the other end. "This is why A hate workin' wi' boys.", she said, as Callum defeated another sniper and went to the houseboat on the corner, another stack of coolers with a dolphin label. Opening one, he saw more weed and cocaine. "Seriously, why are they still selling weed? You can literally walk into a store and buy it if you're 25 years old.", he thought but still moved to mark the houseboat. "Wait, I heard something...", he said, hearing a voice yelling in an Old English accent. "Help! Get me out of here!", she yelled, which prompted Callum to move to the door of the houseboat and pull it open, seeing a woman run out in skimpy clothing. He went to mark the boat first, painting a picture of a dealer making a silly face with a crosshair trained on his face. "Rayla, you didn't tell me there'd be girls at this party.", he said. "Sae A heard. Dealers must be usin' their hookers as human shields.", she said, shaking her head at how low these people would go. Callum jumped to the last boat and he was met immediately by a hail of gunfire. Finding cover, Callum felt that he had enough energy for another Karma Bomb. Jumping back into the open, he charged his Radiant Sweep attack and let loose, knocking several enemies into the air. Rayla saw this as an opportunity to impress Callum and subdued several dealers before Callum could with his attack. "Oh, now you're just showing off!", he said, blasting whatever enemies he could with his Karma Bomb. 

The area now clear, Callum went around back and found another stack of coolers, once again filled with weed and coke. He walked back around and shouted to the women inside. "Hello? Any women of ill-repute being held hostage on this boat against their will?", he yelled, hearing the distressed pleas from the prostitute inside. Opening the door, the woman ran out, not even giving Callum a passing glance. Moving to mark the houseboat, Callum painted a lollipop with a bow tie on the stick, the candy having a target painted on it. "Uh-oh, looks like we stirrit up a hornet's nest back here at the warehouse.", Rayla said, worry in her voice. "Coming.", Callum said in a sing-song voice. He ran along the marina, subduing two dealers before coming upon the main show. A small army of bodyguards armed with rifles and snipers on the roof of the warehouse gave the boy a clear indicator that he needed to find some cover. Callum ran for the side of the warehouse, trying to take out a few dealers on the way, but he got hit a single sniper shot and he needed to find cover to heal. He knocked out two people with his chain, before speeding to the roof and Radiant Dropping onto two snipers. He shot their shins and ran for cover as Rayla sniped some dealers of her own. Subduing enough enemies, Callum charged another Radiant Sweep and knocked everyone into the air and gunned them all down. The fight now over, Callum called Rayla again. "So, ready to storm the warehouse?", he asked, which he got a surprising 'no' to. "A say we wait 'em oot. Make 'em come tae us.", she said. "'Sit and wait'. My favorite strategy.", he said sarcastically. "Why dinnae ye join me on the roof here an enjoy the fireworks? A'm aboot tae licht up their drug boats. Ye know, it's a lucky thin ye were able tae let thae women free before we blow up the boats here.", she said, not wanting to imagine what would've happened should Callum not have discovered them. "No kidding.", he said, absorbing a neon sign to refill his energy and speeding to the rooftops. "Ready? Let's light up the bay!", she said, firing her continuous laser at the boats Callum marked, which she could see using binoculars. With the three boats destroyed and sinking, Callum felt the need to remark on the experience. "Well, that's three less evil dolphin boats in the world.", he said, Rayla's brows raising. "Thon's three less 'porpoise' boats. Dinnae worry, it's a common mistake.", she said smugly, using Callum's own joke against him. Callum dozed off after they looked out over the bay. 

"Camel, wake up! They're on the move.", Rayla said, shaking Callum awake. "It's CALLUM. And what?", he asked as she pointed to a truck on the road. "Probably movin' some stuff tae their main location. We should follow 'em, let 'em lead us tae it.", she said, following the truck from the roofs. "We should probably stick tae the rooftops, sae we dinnae spook 'em. We juist gotta be careful no tae lose 'em.", she said, gracefully climbing and running up buildings. Callum admired her grace and beauty, so much so that he nearly lost his footing on a windowsill as he followed her. There were a few human girls back in Katolis, and he saw a few elven girls on a few trips he had with his parents before the accident, but none really compared to Rayla. They had a similar like for art, even though Callum thought that he was better. They both used their powers to help others, even when that work went unappreciated by most. He had to admit it, he liked her. It was just a matter of if the feeling was reciprocated. "Rayla, can I ask you a personal question? About that D.U.P. Detention Centre?", he asked, hoping he wasn't ruining his chances with her. "Curdun Cay?", she asked, Callum shaking his head yes. "...na.", she replied, her ears drooping a little. "A mean, whit dae ye want tae know? Thare were, maybe four, maybe five hundrit o' us. A few o' us were separatit oot, given special trainin'. Or tests. A wis ane o' the separatit. It wis seven years... separated, ye know. Curdun Cay wis hell. It wis also home.", she said, her mood dimming. Callum needed her to brighten up, no pun intended, if he wanted to keep her happy. "Actually, I was gonna ask if they had a pool.", Callum said, nervously grinning. Rayla just gave him a confused look. "Ye're a jackass, ye know thon?", she said, chuckling a bit. Callum chuckled more at that response. "So I've heard.", he said as they watched the truck pull into an alley. Callum could hear the cries for help coming from inside the truck. More hostages. "They pullit intae thon alley. This must be the place.", she said. "What's the plan?", he asked, clapping his hands softly together. "Get 'em.", Rayla said simply, dashing to one side of the roof. "'Get 'em' isn't a plan!", he said, before shaking his head and Radiant Dropping upon some dealers who were guarding the alley. Having stunned them, Callum subdued one and helped Rayla corner another. One tried to run, but Callum quickly stopped him. Rayla dropped down and wrapped a surrendering dealer in neon binds and shot a neon beam at another, subduing him. Cal and Rayla went to give each other a high five when Callum remembered that Rayla only had four fingers. Rayla looked concerned when Callum put his hand down but giggled when she saw that he had put his pinky finger down to mimic Rayla's hand. "High four!", he said, grinning as he and Rayla smacked hands. 

"Someone's in that truck.", Callum said, moving to open the back door. The women looked up at him and were blinded by the sudden light flooding the back of the truck. "Alright, ladies. C'mon, let's go. Yes, the bad men are gone.", he said as the women shuffled reluctantly out of the truck. "Go. Live. Love... just not professionally.", he said, taking a seat at the lip of the truck's back. "If ye want tae get clean, now's the time! Thare wonae be any more drugs on the streets! Dinnae screw it up!", Rayla yelled to the fleeing women, standing on top of the truck. "An' they're gone.", she said, her arms falling to her sides. Not even a thank you in return, Callum pondered if they were ever going to be seen as anything other than monsters as Rayla used Light Speed to get down from the truck. "You think a couple of low-life Bio-Terrorists will ever get thanked for saving people?", Callum asked. It wasn't that he craved attention, but getting some credit for help others would be better than none at all. "Yeah... A think ye micht have savit me.", Rayla said, smiling as she saw Cal's shocked expression. "Oh... So what, you gonna give up on your whole ritualistic murdering of drug dealers? That's like half your charm.", he said, getting up off the truck as Rayla walked away a bit. "Oh, yeah? Whit's the other half?", she asked, facing him. Callum was at a loss for words, so he mentally panicked for a second. "Actually, that was it. Your... just the one... charm." he said, causing Rayla to step closer. "Dinnae worry. A'm no' givin' up on ma' passions. Juist findin' some new ones.", she said, putting her hands on Callum's chest, noticing Callum's goofy expression as he looked at her. He thought she was confirming his suspicions when she punched him right in the chest. "Ohhh...", he groaned, not expecting that move at all. "Like boxin'.", she said, heading to the truck to empty its contents and destroy them. "Ow, was that like your whole attempt at a tender moment? Ahhh... you are a sentimental psychopath, aren't you?", he said, hand over where Rayla hit him. "C'mon, let's juist... get the rest o' these drugs intae the harbor. Maybe we can get a few fish strung oot.", she said, bending down to empty a duffel bag filled with coke. "Man, hook a dolphin!", Callum said as he climbed into the truck. "Hey!", Rayla said, liking the sound of the idea. "You like me.", Callum said, causing Rayla to laugh out loud and brush one of her braids back, blushing a bit at the boy's funniness. She was right, though. He did save her when she needed it.


	11. Fight Intolerants

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil Karma Chapter
> 
> Callum has convinced Rayla to end the LifeLine Activists protests by showing them that they aren't monsters by choice.

Callum stood on the roof of his and Rayla's meeting point, waiting for the elf to show up. The elf in question sped to the roof quietly, scaring Callum when he noticed her. "Jesus. Sup?", he asked, hand over his heart as he felt it pulsate rapidly. "Looks like the haters are gettin' ready for their big parade.", Rayla said, referring to the large group of protesters. "Ye i'?", she asked, ready to disrupt their protest. "Oh, I'm in. I'm a total hater.", Callum said, smirking as he dropped to street level. Seeing the activists with their signs, Callum fired a Phosphor Beam at one activist and obliterated him, signaling Rayla to attack. Callum managed to kill about 10 people before Rayla mopped up the stragglers. The pair then saw some DUP Pawns fire at them. "Looks like the DUP troop's becoming honorary members of the haters' club.", Callum said, moving to cover. "Yeah, whit's it they say, 'the friend o' ma enemy has bad taste i' friends'?", Rayla said. "Just makes it more convenient for us when they're together in one place like this.", Callum said as he ran circles around the Pawns and used his neon imbued chain to impale and obliterate the DUPs. Rayla found herself enjoying her and Callum's combined efforts in killing the D.U.P. It was kind of... fun. "Thon wis fun, but god, A juist want tae licht up thon leader guy's innards. Maybe thon'll make him shut up.", she said, clenching her fists in annoyance and anger. "Well he's bound to be at one of these little get-togethers. Let's just keep crashing 'em 'til we find the right one.", Callum said, punching his fist into his other hand. "A like the way ye think, 'Smokes.' race ye tae the next ane.", she said, using his nickname as she took off. Callum didn't feel like running but when to where one of the rallies were happening. 

"A beat ya here, but ye can still take the first shot.", Rayla said as Callum raced to the activists at ground level. Callum took aim and killed two protesters with a Phosphor Beam, obliterating them and causing a panic amongst the others. Some tried to get away, but Rayla jumped from the roof and blocked them with an evil grin on her face. "Hey! Here's a little trick A like tae call... LASERS!", she said as she used her Radial Burst ability to blast them back and fired Neon Beams at them, burning holes into their flesh. At the sound of gunfire, the duo knew they disrupted the DUPs and moved to take them out. Callum fired Neon Beams at the Pawns while Rayla used her Burning Ray to crack a Rook's concrete armor. Using Laser Insight, Callum found it funny how easy it was to obliterate the DUPs in a single shot. He couldn't imagine trying to aim for their legs; it was too difficult to be a good person sometimes. As the last soldier died, Rayla smirked at the dead soldiers. "Awww, they're sae cute whan they're sleepin. Still, na sign o' their loudmouthit leader though.", she said, kind of disappointed that their target didn't show. "Well, then we just keep crashing and bashing 'til we find him.", Callum said. "Hmf, A can dance aw nicht.", she said, heading for the next rally.

Callum came to the next protest through the alley, spotting Rayla scouting it via rooftop. "Okay, A'll follow yer lead.", she said, keeping an eye out for the leader and waiting for Callum's signal. Callum lined up his shot and fired a Phosphor Beam at a group of people. The obliteration chained to five people, then three more and the resulting explosion managed to kill all 12 of the protesters in one shot. Callum smirked to himself, thinking that he managed to somehow impress Rayla, who jumped to the ground to glance at the destruction herself. "Man, A'm tirit o' wastin these little sign-carriers. Where's the big bad?", she said, growing more and more impatient as she saw her face being crossed out on a sign. "Maybe he'll be at the next one.", Callum said optimistically, trying to keep Rayla focused as some more DUPs showed up. "He better be, or else A'll... A'll dae whit A wis gonna dae anyway.", she said, slightly embarrassed that she couldn't come up with anything better. "Well until then, let's go take back a little more of the night.", Callum said, noticing some floating concrete, indicating a Bishop had arrived. Callum used Light Speed to dash to the roof of a building and drained a vent to switch to Smoke again, finding it better suited for close combat. From the rooftop, he fired a few Cinder Missiles, destroying the APC and killing several DUPs, including the pesky Bishop. Hopping back down to street level, Callum drained a Neon sign, switching powers, and used Light Speed again to head to the third rally. 

Arriving via rooftop this time, Callum noticed Rayla wasn't at the rally, but there were DUPs up on the roof with him, causing him to mentally panic a bit. Callum ran like mad, trying to avoid the heavy gunfire. Taking cover behind a crate, Callum let his fast-healing ability do it's work while he tried to think of a way to avoid being turned into swiss cheese. His arms glowed a reddish-orange and the idea popped into his head, causing a twisted grin to plaster itself on his face. Speeding back to the roof, Callum charged as much Neon energy as he could before exploding into a neon vortex, neon gas reforming his body as it floated. Charging up, Callum the lit up the night with red as he gunned down everything in sight with his twin Neon Gatling Guns. The attack destroyed the DUPs and disrupted the protest going on below, killing seven people. "Well, that wasn't nearly as fun.", he said, referring to Rayla's absence from the attack. He would've wanted her to see how badass he was. Where even was she? His own thoughts were interrupted as Rayla called him. "Sorry tae leave ye hangin' thare, Smokes. Hope ye didnae get yer ass kickit.", she said, sounding a bit smug towards the end. "Eh, didn't even notice you were gone.", Callum lied. "A got a lead on their leader. A'm at the west end o' the Pioneer tunnel, trackin' him now...", she said, sending Callum a marker. "West end of the Pioneer Tunnel. Alright, stay put, I'll meet you there.", he said. "He's got a D.U.P. escort an' they're enterin' the tunnel now, A'm no' gonna-", Rayla said before getting cut off. Callum waited for a second before realizing Rayla wasn't gonna talk again. "Rayla? Rayla!? Dammit!", Callum said, speeding of the roof and onto the streets. "West end of the Pioneer tunnel.", he said, repeating Rayla's directions. "Wonder if she made it into the tunnel?", he asked no one in particular, thinking that would explain why she cut off so abruptly. Coming to the West entrance, Callum saw magenta neon scorch marks lining the street and a side of a building. "Oh yeah, this has got 'Rayla' written all over it.", he said, running into the tunnel while a crowd of people ran out. "Excuse me, man on a mission here.", he said over the commotion pushing his way past them. As he came to a pair of DUPs guarding the way into the tunnel, he shot one with a Phosphor Beam, killing him. "Pardon me, gotta meet a girl.", he said as more guards started to arrive. Firing another Phosphor Beam at a car, killing four soldiers and three civilians. "I said, 'excuse me'.", he said, moving ahead to a straightaway inside the tunnel where several large trucks provided a lot of cover for the DUPs. Callum decided that the best way out is through and charged his Radiant Sweep, unleashing it in an impressive display inside the tunnel, killing four enemies while ten other people got caught in the crossfire. 

Callum used Light Speed to barrel past a group of civilians that seemed to have holed up inside the tunnel past a large tanker, probably to avoid the fighting that happened earlier. "Make way, coming through. Hang in there, Rayla. I'm coming.", he said, genuinely worried for the elf's safety. He knew she could more than take care of herself, but those people could've used something underhanded and she may be in critical danger. He saw more D.U.P. soldiers and scoffed as they were alerted. "You guys are everywhere.", he said as he ran around some roadblocks and shot one with a Phosphor Beam, obliterating two. He got knocked over by a concrete wave and tried to retaliate with another Phosphor Beam, but some civilians got in the way in their panic and were killed in the process. Callum was annoyed, to say the least. Having dealt with the stupid soldiers, Callum moved ahead to encounter another Bishop. Firing Neon Beams at the Forced Conduit, Callum's ankles became ensnared by concrete, causing the boy to toss a Stasis Bubble in retaliation. Callum managed to snipe a few more Pawns and absorbed a few Neon signs to recharge his energy. Shooting Phosphor Beams at the APCs, Callum blew them up, killing the soldiers, finding more Neon traces made by Rayla. Just as he made it to the end of the tunnel, his phone rang and the Caller ID said Rayla. "C, hey. A see ye followit ma signs.", she said nonchalantly as if she didn't cut off mid-sentence. "Oh yeah, real subtle.", Callum said, rolling his eyes. "Listen, thare are aboot a million DUPs richt ootside the tunnel i' front o' ye. Sae juist walk oot real slow an' act scared.", she said quietly. "Yeah, that should be a pretty easy thing for me to do.", Callum said, remembering when he used to be scared of almost anything. Not anymore. "Thin is, they think they've got ye trapped, but 'Ha!'", she said. Callum walked out of the tunnel very slowly as a massive firing squad aimed their rifles at him. "Get down!", the leader yelled at the boy. Callum fought against the urge to smirk as he saw Rayla speed behind them, a neon streak in her wake. "You are under arrest! We will open fire if you do not comply!", the leader continued. "Boy, have you guys got the drop on me.", he lied, as he charged a Radiant Sweep and knocked every soldier into the air, gunning them all down and destroying their APCs. Rayla hopped down to join him as they stood back to back as more D.U.P. vehicles arrived on the scene. "Alright, so what's the plan?", Callum asked. "Um... get 'em?", Rayla said, readying her hands with neon light. "'Get 'em' isn't a plan.", he said as he drained Smoke from the destroyed APCs. Callum stuck to the ground as Rayla jumped to the top of a shack to provide cover fire. Callum fired Cinder Missiles as APCs rolled up, killing anyone unfortunate enough to get caught in its blast. "Yeah, that's right! Keep coming, I'll take you all down!", he yelled. Rayla managed to cover Callum's ass, killing soldiers that were firing at his back. Somehow amidst the chaos, Callum found time to flirt with the elf. "Town's kinda pretty at night, yeah? I mean, the lights and the water...", he said, earning a laugh from the Neon Conduit. "Oh god, ye're no' gonna turn intae a girl on me now, are ye?", she said through her chuckles, embarrassing the human. "Nooo! I mean... I won't if you won't.", he said. A stray bullet passed through Rayla's shoulder, enraging Callum and causing him to generate large plumes of smoke in his hands as he crouched down. "Oh yeah? Die faster!", he yelled as he activated his Orbital Drop attack, launching into the air as three balls of ash. The orbs spiraled upwards and as they reached max height, they collided, reforming Callum as he smirked to himself as he backflipped. Using his thrusters, Callum dropped right on top of a Bishop, obliterating the Forced Conduit and killing the other soldiers as well. "Hey Smokes, ye got this, richt? A left a package over on 5th an' Wall A wanna check on.", Rayla said as she ran. "Sure, you go check your package while I stay here and risk my life.", Callum said, slightly annoyed but glad that Rayla was out of harm's way. "Trust me, ye're gonna love it.", she said confidently. Callum killed the last two enemies and drained a Neon sign to catch up with Rayla. "All done here.", Callum said, speeding up a building. "Guid! Meet me at 5th an' Wall. This is gonna be epic.", she said. 

Callum met Rayla at 5th and Wall, and there was also a man there that he didn't recognize kneeling on the ground. Rayla could hardly sit still as Callum arrived. "Hey Callum. Fire up thon camera. A got somethin' for the viewers at home.", she said, pointing at a camera on a tripod. "Alright...", Callum said, as he did as he was asked. The man on the ground begged Rayla not to hurt him. "Please... please don't hurt me...", he said, as Rayla shifted her attention from the man on the ground to the camera lens, a wicked grin stuck on her face. "Hello Americae! Ma name is Rayla Allen. Two things ye should know aboot me: ane, A'm a Leo: two, A'v niver hurt an innocent person i' ma life.", she said as she shot a Neon Beam through the man's chest, causing him to slump to the ground dead. "An' thon's still true. Ye may think A'm a monster but it's no' ma fault. People who preach hatrit o' Conduits leave us na choice. Sae who's really tae blame here? Maybe ye!", she said as she hit the camera with a Neon Beam as well, scaring Callum and knocking the device to the ground as she laughed. "That was a nice touch at the end.", Callum said, enjoying her laughter. "It juist came tae me. Hou aboot the part where A put a hole throuch the hater?", she asked, feeling very excited for some reason. "Whoo, golden age of television.", he said. Rayla paced back and forth, twirling her wrists. "Ahh, man. A got aw this energy now, A gotta burn it aff.", she said, sounding out of breath as she panted. "I mean, there's plenty of activists out there...", Callum suggested, before Rayla said something that made his face turn red. "Ye wanna hook up?", Rayla said, getting close to him. Callum didn't know what to say, but his instincts seemed to take over as he brought Rayla close. "Activists can wait.", he said, as the two began to kiss passionately in the night air and rain. Rayla pulled from the kiss first and rested her head in the crook between Callum's head and shoulder. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You wanna go someplace where you know, our bodies don't get riddled by bullets during foreplay?", he asked, as Rayla's half-lidded eyes stared back into his. "Foreplay is for the weak.", she said as Callum leaned her back as she wrapped her legs around his hips.


	12. The Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After spending the night with Rayla, Callum gets a tip on another Conduit and fights his way through a D.U.P occupied bridge to reach the next island.

Callum decided to spend the night at Rayla's billboard since he really didn't have anywhere else to go, and she was welcoming, of course. After the massive drug bust that they did last night, they found looked to each other to recharge their batteries. After an intense makeout session, followed by... adult things, they both drifted off to sleep. But Callum's dream was anything but lovely.

He stood in a street of Empire City, a few thousand miles away from where he lived in Katolis. A newspaper blew into his face and reading it, he saw the date read 2011 - seven years in the past when his parents were still alive! He looked around in a frenzied panic and saw his mother, Sarai Rowe with his father, whose name he could hardly remember anymore. Viren said that he looked a bit like his father, but he had his mother's eyes and at times, her bravery. He tried to push through the crowd towards them when he saw the sky became a blood red, with dark clouds. He heard cacophonous screaming and bright flashes, but there was no lightning. Screens on the buildings brought up what looked like Central Park being ripped apart by a bright vortex that was sucking in humans, elves, cars, and everything in between. Soon, everyone broke into a panic and started running, some pushing Callum over. In the confusion, he saw his mother get swept away by the crowd. He wanted to chase after her, but someone had to stop whatever was happening. The bright flash was followed by a huge explosion and Callum ran into the road, no cars on the move, people abandoning them to escape whatever was bringing the apocalypse. 

Callum ran but stopped as another explosion happened, causing an entire building to come crumbling down and sending cars flying. Even saw a flaming bus fly as far as the port, causing an explosion that blew up a ship. He thought for a brief minute he saw electricity, but something else caught his attention: a massive giant of what looked like solid magma in the shape of an elf. It had glowing orange eyes which flickered as he began sending more fire into the sky. Callum's first instinct was to Smoke Dash into a vent and get to a higher location, which he did. The monster was gargantuan, nearly as tall as the building it was clearing. He was about to try and fire some Cinder Missiles at the beast when bolts of electricity came out of nowhere and hit the monster. Callum looked at where the bolts came from and saw a man all the way at the docks. He had black hair, seemingly like a mullet and he wore a red, yellow, and black jacket, some jeans with white tape on one of the knees, and had electricity emanating from his hands. The monster managed to find his distraction offensive, as it picked up and lobbed an entire statue fragment at him. Callum watched in horror as the man got hit and the giant began to speed walk towards the docks. Absorbing a neon sign, Callum used Light Speed to get to the docks before the giant did, managing to push the statue piece off of the man. The electric man stumbled as he tried to get up as the giant grabbed the statue piece and moved it away, getting a clear look at the both of them. "The Beast!", the electric man said, charging his power in his hand. The Beast simply stared at the two Conduits before charging a ball of unknown energy in his hand and smashing it toward the two. Callum was sent flying backward but the electric man stood his ground. "Kessler told me about you! I'm not about to let it happen!", the man said, shooting bolts of electricity at The Beast. Seemingly having no effect, Callum shot Neon Beams at The Beast, hoping to lend the man a hand. After enough shots, The Beast ripped up the docks, sending the two Conduits flying into the air. The Beast then sent out a ripple of energy that nullified the immediate area's gravity, leaving the two floating. The man quickly regained himself and started firing bolts upon bolts of lightning at The Beast, who tried using a handheld black hole to draw the two in. Callum began shooting Phosphor Beams at The Beast, hoping to deal more damage than before. The Beast's left eye was cut clean from its head, exposing a possible weak spot. "Hey, asshole!", Callum yelled, getting The Beast's attention. Absorbing as much smoke as possible, he charged his Orbital Drop, launching into the sky. The electric Conduit's arm sparked with more electricity than before, calling down a massive lightning bolt from the sky to attack The Beast. Callum reformed his body and backflipped, falling and using his Smoke Thrusters to aim his decent right on top of the monster. Landing right on The Beast's forehead, the attacks caused The Beast to sink into the harbor in defeat. A vortex of smoke reformed on the pier, remaking Callum's body. He panted in exhaustion, but the man put a finger to his ear and his eyes widened as the pier began to break apart. Callum and the other wasted no time in running as fast as they could towards the ship that was leaving the harbor. As they jumped the gap, Callum saw his mother on the boat. His face lit up with happiness for a moment before gravity became turned off once more. Callum and the man, who he knew as Keith from someone on the boat shouting at them, were grabbed by a massive hand and slowly began to squeeze the life out of them. The two Conduit then began firing their elements at The Beast, managing to still be alive, despite having half his head missing. Callum paused at the screams of his mother's voice, who floated dangerously close to the Beast. "MOTHER!", Callum cried as she looked at him with a somber glance. The world moved in slow motion as Sarai Rowe was absorbed into The Beast, launching Callum into a berserker's rage, launching another Orbital Drop. Keith, however, wasn't waiting for Callum's anger and summoned an Ionic Storm, electrocuting The Beast, himself, and Callum, who got hit with the bolt at the height of his move. All Callum could see in the end as he fell was the image of his mother's face, looking back at him with glowing red eyes.

Callum's recounting of his nightmare was ended when Rayla called. He had left her billboard a bit early to give her some space after last night's events. "Hey, juist woke up. Ye were gone.", she said in a sleeping voice. "Yeah, gotta go hook up with the other woman in my life.", Cal said, walking down the morning sidewalk, the sky a pale blue as the sun rose. "Ha, Claudia. Whit daes she have thon A don't?", Rayla asked in mock-hurt voice. Cal thought for a second. "Concrete power.", he said. "Ye guys... aw after the same thin'.", Rayla said rolling her eyes as she began dressing. "By the way, I think your uncle would've been really proud of what you just did.", Callum said, engaging a D.U.P checkpoint. "Ye mean killin' the dealers, destroyin' the drugs an' freein' the sex slaves, right?", she asked not sure if he was referring to that or to the other thing they did last night. "Of course! Although I'm sure he would've loved me, too.", Cal said, blushing a bit as he began to destroy the checkpoint, blasting apart a street camera. "Yeah, A think if he'd seen me wi' thae boats an' drugs an' dealers... he'd have proud o' his little Moonshadow. We did guid, C. A'd like tae see thae lying-ass TV talkers make this leuk bad.", Rayla said, putting a hand next to her writing. Callum continued to fight the D.U.P. when Soren called for the first time since their argument. "Hey Callum, got word of a ramped-up D.U.P. presence over in the Lantern District. They must think there's a Conduit hiding there.", he said as Callum began to bind soldiers using his Neon powers. "Sounds like the place to be.", he said, very much interested in trying to find this Conduit. "Oh hey, thare's a bridge near here thon'll get ye thare.", Rayla said, surprising both humans. "Great, now this is a conference call.", Soren said, rolling his eyes while Rayla and Callum did the same in response. "Hey, Rayla!", Callum said. "Hey, Rayla,  might be worth mentioning that that bridge was broken up like the 520 by the D.U.P.", Soren said, spitting her name into his phone like a bad taste out of his mouth. "Hey 'Powerless', they ainae built an' wreckit the bridge yet thon we Conduits can't cross, right C?", Rayla said, looking to Callum for support. Callum thought about it, and if he could cross the 520 to Seattle, why not the bridge to the Lantern District. "Might be worth a shot, Soren.", he said. The officer dragged his hand down his face; getting tag-teamed by two Bio-Terrorists, what else is new? "Well, it sounds like you're in completely competent and trustworthy hands. Why don't you call me if you get there.", Soren said, hanging up. Rayla released a sigh that she didn't know she was holding. "Man, hou dae ye put up wi' thon?", she asked, genuinely mind-boggled as to how the two boys even grew up in the same house. "He pays the bills. I'm heading for the bridge.", Callum said, destroying the rest of the checkpoint with a Radiant Sweep and speeding to the top of the nearby parking structure to find a Mobile Command Centre. Taking out the nearby Pawns, he blew out the side panels and pummeled the core with his powers, causing the vehicle to overheat and explode, allowing him to absorb the scattered Blast Shards.

Coming to the end of the highway that leads to the Lantern District, Callum was met with a massive concrete wall blocking the road. Using Light Speed to run up the wall, Callum's Neon glow gave his position away to two Pawns and a Knight below. The Knight fired a grenade launcher at Callum, the bomb landing at his feet but not shaking the man. "Oh, bad move.", he said, absorbing the smoke from the grenade. "This... is gonna be awesome.", he said, jumping from his perch and using his Smoke Thrusters to hover over the soldiers before charging a Comet Drop and knocking them all out. Callum looked up from his drop to see an unmanned machine gun start to spin up. "Automatic turrets? This is so cheating!", he said, climbing a shipping container to get out of sight of the turret. Getting behind the turret, he ripped a part out, shutting the weapon down. "A-ha! Turns out their Achilles' heel is up their asses.", Callum said, moving forward. "Knew ye could dae it, C.", Rayla said, catching Callum off guard. "Just gotta keep leap-frogging these auto-turds.", Cal said. He had an even better idea just then. Charging his Orbital Drop, Callum launched high into the air and as he reformed, he used his Smoke Thrusters to soar past a large section of shipping containers. As he reformed his body, Callum got shot at again by another auto-turret. "Man, those things are relentless.", he complained running past the turret. Coming to a large gap, Callum saw there was no way to jump across. "Okay, that's a gap.", he said. He looked to his left to see a conveniently placed car sitting near the edge of the bridge. "Car's pretty useless right now... unless it's a launching pad.", he said, using Car Boost to launch into the air and Smoke Thrusters to glide across. Coming to a guard-post, Callum used Cinder Blast to break the checkpoint down and came upon new enemies, Super Knights and Pawns. They looked the same as their normal variants, but they had concrete armor to protect them even more. "Finally decided to stop hiding behind your toys, huh?", Callum said, firing Cinder Blasts. Once he finished the soldiers, Callum jumped into an area that looked like an arena of some kind. 

Callum heard footsteps and looked up to see the woman he came to find. Claudia. "Awww shit... Lady, you are hell on bridges, you know that?", Callum yelled to her, Claudia looking amused. "So, you recognize me?", she yelled back as Callum paced. "Oh yeah, yeah, you're the one who had me dead to rights a couple of weeks ago and just let me walk away.", Callum said, confused as to why Claudia had a smile on her face. "You've changed since then.", she said, having heard the news. "You mean the smoke thing... yeah, that's new.", Callum said, emanating wisps of smoke from his hands to prove his point. "I hear you've learned a new trick. You've expanded your arsenal.", Claudia said, Callum's confident smirk disappearing. "Well, I don't know where you heard that. I mean... I'm just a lowly smoke guy.", Callum said, denying her thoughts about his new Neon powers. "We'll see.", she said, signaling someone to turn on some nearby floodlights. "Uh... Yeah, that's doin' nothin' for me.", Callum said, not sure where this was going. Claudia shook her head at how dumb he could play and signaled again, this time another Forced Conduit ran out, leaping from Claudia's perch. He landed on a concrete platform he made himself and surrounded himself with rotating concrete shields. Callum tried firing Smoke Shot out to test the waters, but found that it was harmlessly bouncing off the King's shields. Having no other option, Callum absorbed a floodlight, swapping out his smoke powers for neon. "See? That wasn't so hard! I thought so, I just had to see it for myself.", Claudia yelled, taunting the boy. Callum gave her taunts no mind and focused on the battle. "I hope you realize how special you are. Now finish the big concrete oaf so we can talk.", Claudia yelled, confusing the Absorption Conduit. Callum focused on the King, who managed to somehow appear next to him and hit him with a small boulder. "My, you're a big fella!", Callum strained, using his new ability, Laser Focus, to slow down time for him to make more precise shots on the King. The King himself started to feel a bit unsteady on his platform. "The bigger they are... the smaller I feel.", Callum said, feeling tiny compared to the large structures of stone made by the Forced Conduit. After a few more well-placed Neon Beams, the King was reduced to rubble as he self-destructed. 

"Okay, so maybe I, you know, lied about the neon thing... but listen, I think I can save us both a lot of time here. I just need to leech a little power off you, that's it.", Callum said apologetically, hoping that maybe he and the Concrete Queen could talk it out. Claudia, on the other hand, could not help but laugh at Callum's naivete. "You want me to just give you my power?", she asked, unbelieving how bold and stupid the boy was. "I mean, not enough to sink bridges or anything. But enough to pull the concrete daggers out of my friends and family, yea. Then after that, you will never see me again.", Callum said, hoping that if he disappeared from the world, the D.U.P. would leave him and Katolis alone. "I've got a better idea...", Claudia said, signaling again. Callum was prepared for another King or more DUPs, but he wasn't prepared for his legs to become encased in concrete. "Since you'd be useless to me back in your little hovel, how about you stay here with me?", Claudia said having walked down to Cal's level to look him in the eyes. Callum looked into her bright green eyes and grimaced a little. "I kind of like my idea better.", he said, reaching for one of her gloved hands, which resulted in Claudia grabbing his arm and gripping it painfully. "Oh Callum, you disappoint me.", she said motherly. Her victorious rant was interrupted by the sound of large wings. Because of the rocks holding him in place, Cal himself could not look up but soon felt his hand wretched free from Claudia's grasp as he was carried by something. "NO!", Claudia yelled. She had been so close to capturing one of the most useful Conduits in the last seven years. And now that child had gone and taken him away from her...

Callum's view had been blocked by rocks but as it finally started to clear, he saw that he was being carried by something pretty high in the air. The sound of beating wings told him that whatever it was was flying, and as he looked down in the streets below, he saw that they were above the Lantern District. The thing came to a stop above a Chinese style building and dropped him to it's roof, shattering the rest of the concrete off of Callum. After recovering from the fall, Callum looked around to confirm that he was indeed in the Lantern District. "Ah, the Lantern District, where I was headed all along. Just took the scenic route.", he said, looking out over the Chinatown styled buildings.


	13. The Fan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being saved by a mysterious being, Callum gets a call from a supporter and work together to help more suspected Conduits.

After exploring the Lantern District for a bit, Callum phone rang. Checking it, the Caller ID was an unknown one. Answering it, the voice was unfamiliar as well, sounding a bit young. "Hey, uh, is this Callum Rowe?", the voice asked. "Yeah, who's this?", Callum asked, suspicious of the young man. "I am just a huge fan of your work. That tag you put on the Needle, 'the Yin Yang conflict of avian desire', right? See, I get what you're doing, the whole 'give power to the powerless' thing, and I want to help.", the fan said. Callum did admit, the more eyes he had, the easier this Conduit would be to track down. "Okay, if you wanna help, you can help me find one of the escaped Conduits who might be here in the Lantern District.", Callum said, smiling for a picture a random person was taking of him. "Oh, why do you want him... or her?", the fan said, sounding a bit confused to Callum. "I just want to shake his... or her... hand.", Callum said, speeding to the rooftops to scan the district. "Okay, well, uh, I've heard that the D.U.P.'s planning to take all the suspected Conduits they've rounded up and move 'em to this holding facility they built Downtown. Convoy's supposed to come right through the Lantern District. Cutting across the I-90 overpass.", the fan said, surprising Callum with his knowledge. "You happen to know if any of these people have actual powers?", Callum said, hoping to gain a few more powers for anywhere he could find. "Oh, yeah, yeah, totally. Absolutely. Yeah.", the fan said, sounding nervous. Callum brushed it off as the kid being afraid of messing up in front of a celebrity. "Hey, thanks... um, sorry, what'd you say your name was?", Callum asked, not knowing if he ever got the kid's name. "Um, it's, it's Ezran. It's a dorky name, I know.", Ezran said, chuckling at his self-deprecation. "Hey, my Mom got the name "Callum", from an old show she used to watch. And he was a half-blood prince.", Callum said, smirking as he remembered why Soren called him "step-prince" in the first place. Hanging up, Callum used Light Speed and Photon Jump to dash between buildings. 

Arriving at the I-90 overpass, Callum called his new fan, Ezran, for advice. "Hey Ez, I'm thinking the easiest thing to do here is, somehow drop the road a little. You know, sweep the rug out from underneath 'em.", Callum said. "Well, uhh, you could just blow it up?", Ezran said, unsure of the idea. "No, I can't take the chance that it'll kill the Conduit I'm looking for. I'm just gonna cut the supports and the trucks will make it drop a little. Bam! Instant roadblock.", Cal said, charging some Neon in his hand. "Ok, see, man this is why I'm such a big fan. I wish I could be there to see it.", Ezran said. "Well come on out and watch. But you know, from a safe distance of course. Cause when we Conduits go to work, you mortals better give us a wide berth.", Callum said, not wanting Ez to get hurt. "Right, right, well, on second thought then I'm gonna, stay home. I'll let you know if I find out anything more about the convoy, though.", Ezran said, second-guessing going out in public. Callum broke off all four beams with Neon Beams and called Ezran, making sure to label his number correctly. "Hey Ez, when is this convoy supposed to show up?", he asked, using Light Speed to run up a building. "Ah, tonight, sometime? I really don't know for sure. Are you still at the overpass?", Ezran asked, unsure of why Callum called him. "Yep, still here. Just been making friends with the locals. Doesn't seem to be any traffic up top.", Callum asked, noticing that there weren't any cars on the interstate. "Well, yeah, because the Dups took it over, ahh, closed it off to civilians. So, you finished with the supports?", Ezran asked. "Yep, all done. About to head topside and play a little game of chicken with the DUPs.", Callum said, standing on the interstate. 

After a while, a dense fog rolled in. Callum stopped drawing in his book and opted to play a little game on his phone. About thirty minutes later, he looked up to notice the D.U.P. convoy roll towards him. "Shit.", he whispered, nearly beating his previous score. "Of course.", he said, not believing his luck. The trucks continued to drive towards him, unaware of the unstable highway until it was too late and it gave way underneath them. Callum put his phone away and laughed as his plan worked perfectly. "Suckers.", he said, calling Ezran. "Hey Ezran, talk to me man. What am I looking for in this convoy?", he asked hoping that the boy would have something. "Ahh, I don't know. I mean, they're moving a lot of prisoners, so maybe look for some busses.", he said. Just then, a chopper spun out of the sky and crashed near the highway, the resulting explosion loud enough for Ezran to hear through the phone. "Whoa, what was that?", he asked, frightened. "Uh... helicopters? Whole packs of 'em. Don't think they can see me in the fog.", Callum said, subduing a few Knights with Neon Beam, utilizing Laser Focus to score precise hits. Some Super Knights began using concrete shields, forcing Cal to use Phosphor Beam to break through. "Come on, just hand over your prisoners and we'll call it a day?", he said, accidentally subduing a Knight he couldn't see through the fog. "Hey, I got one... I don't know how, but I did. Ha ha.", he said. Soon, Callum began running low on neon energy and he kept missing shots through the fog. He decided to switch up his game plan and drained some smoke from a busted APC. Firing a volley of Smoke Shots and CInder Blasts, Callum drained some more smoke and shot two Cinder Missiles, hoping to soften up the soldiers. Dashing back to a sushi sign, Callum drained the neon from it to charge his Karma Bomb. Using Light Speed to dash back to the soldiers, Callum unleashed Radiant Sweep upon his enemies, subduing them all in a blinding flash. With the fight done, Callum went up to one of the busses and went to open the door, when he heard a weird noise that sounded like screeching and motors whirring. Backing up, Callum ran for his life but was too late and was blown back by a falling chopper. 

Waking up by a tree and the chopper wreckage, Callum called Ezran to inform him of the bad news. "Ez, those busses are long gone. Any chance you know where they went?", he asked, hoping to still catch those who were imprisoned and free them. "I don't know. Radio chatter is all over the place. I can't figure out where they're headed.", Ezran said, shocking the older boy. "Wait... you're tapped into the DUP right now? How'd you pull that off?", Callum asked, shocked at how someone younger than him managed to do something not even the best hackers in the Seattle PD could do, according to Soren. "Just this phone app I've been tinkering with. Here, I'll send you a link.", Ezran said, giving Callum the info. "Okay, got it. So... what's it do?", Callum asked, wanted to know how Ezran pulled it off. "It's a signal tracker. You can listen in on the D.U.P.'s communications. But the cool thing is you can also use it to pinpoint the direction the signal's coming from.", Ez explained, or he would've put it, "Ez-plained". "Oh man, I have got to take this thing for a test drive.", Callum said, speeding to the top of a building to get a better angle of the signal, taking out his phone, Callum kept turning until he heard a DUP soldier report the attack. "We drove right into a goddamn ambush. It was definitely Rowe. We were able to get clear with our cargo, but we lost contact with the others.", the man said, causing Callum to hop side to side giddily. "Hey Ez, I got something.", Callum said merrily. "I told you.", Ezran said as Callum jumped and floated between buildings, chasing the first signal. 

"No idea on casualty figures, but we also lost the APCs. Even had a couple of birds go down, but that wasn't Rowe. I'm telling you, whatever the hell it was is still up there. It's like nothing else I've ever heard before. You need to send some goddamn heavy reinforcements. Now!", a soldier said. Callum decided to crash the party by wrapping up a man in a nice little neon bow. "It's him. It's Rowe!", a soldier yelled before Callum Comet Dropped the man. Taking out the soldiers, Callum saw the chaos that was left in his absence: burning piles of ashes and glowing swords made of a weird substance. The Conduit was definitely here. Destroying the APCs with Phosphor Beams, Callum went to search the prison bus but found it empty. "Empty? Someone must've beat me to 'em.", Callum said, getting knocked back by a shockwave caused by a Super Rook. "You're new.", Callum said, trying to shoot off the Rook's concrete armor with Neon Beams. "Callum Rowe, you're coming with us.", the Rook said, withstanding the neon beams fairly well. "Sorry, I've got other plans.", Callum said jokingly. Just as he was about to resume his Neon Beams, Callum was knocked away by another Super Rook, and saw another show up not long after. Deciding to not waste time by trying to take them down one by one with weaker attacks, Callum charged up his Radiant Sweep and let loose, managing to pierce the concrete armor and subdue the Rooks. "Hey Ez, I found that first bus, but it's empty. I saw three on the overpass, so there's still two out there.", Callum said, not getting a response back. "Hey, fan-o-mine, you still there?", Callum asked, still receiving nothing from Ezran. Callum couldn't help but scoff at Ezran's lack of faith in him. "One minor set-back and you hang up on me. Some fan you are.", Callum said, speeding to the top of the nearby building to get a better signal for the tracker. Aiming in the signal's direction, Callum was greeted by a more panicked soldier freaking out about something. "We need help! There's too many of them! They're everywhere! Everywhere! The fog... can't see a thing! Can you hear?", the soldier said, prompting Callum to take off. As he arrived at a building overlooking where the signal was coming from, Callum was greeted by two helicopters. He began to shoot Neon Beams at one and when that didn't work, he tried Phosphor Beam, which managed to destroy the chopper. Callum could only hope that the choppers were automated. Callum looked to the other chopper which was further away and tried to snipe it with Neon Beam but the beams seemed to fizzle out before they could hit. Using Photon Jump, Callum launched from the building's edge and used Neon Thrusters to glide to another building, climbing over the ledge to come face to face with the aircraft. He fired Neon Beam from the roof, strafing from side-to-side to prevent the chopper from locking onto him. As the chopper finally exploded, it fired a volley of rockets anyway, Callum barely dodging out of the way. 

Running past an APC, Callum continued to track the D.U.P. signal, passing through a Chinese-style gate and finding the bus but crashed into a lamppost and more weird glowing swords impaling the roof. "Okay, this is NOT going the way I expected. Gotta find that last bus before whatever did this does.", he said, draining smoke from the crash to replace his neon powers. Rounding the corner, Callum looked for a vent to Smoke Dash through when he ran into a D.U.P. checkpoint. Callum began to fight them, firing off several Cinder Missiles, but as the heavily fortified troops began to take up positions, Callum realized he bit off more than he could chew. Running back around the corner, Callum's healing abilities began to take effects as he looked for a way to the rooftops. Changing his mind, Callum found a coffee shop and drained its Neon sign, speeding right to the top of the building. Pulling out his phone, Callum caught another panicked soldier on their comms. "Incoming! Multiple airbornes!", the soldier yelled. Callum had a growing hunch that this was the work of the Conduit, but what powers could make "multiple airbornes"? Speeding off the building, Callum ran in the direction of the signal, passing by a few cheering civilians. Using Light Speed to climb several buildings in his path, Callum pulled his phone out to make sure he was heading the right way. "Returning fire, but there's just too many of them!", the soldier yelled. Callum was genuinely getting worried about what was happening to those men. No one should ever be in that amount of terror. Hovering to another rooftop, Callum checked the app again. "The attacks are coming from above! They're right overhead!", the soldier yelled. Yep. Right direction. Seeing gunfire, Callum sped to the scene, only to find the weirdest things he had ever seen in his life. "What in the hell have I walked in on?", he said, witnessing D.U.P. heavies going against something that could only be described as a weird, pixel dragon. It was no larger than him, but there was no mistaking the wings, the snout, and the pixelated fire. Comet Dropping into the action, the soldiers immediately associated the dragons with him. "It's Rowe! These monsters have got to be his. Screw the dragons, kill him!", a soldier cried as a dragon knocked him over. Callum was confused but took advantage of the opportunity by subduing the man. Callum fought alongside the dragons but was confused. They almost seemed to not acknowledge him, yet fought the D.U.P. They did provide good distractions, however, as Callum recognized that the D.U.P. was stepping up their game. He continued to struggle against the heavies until they were defeated, Callum using a Radiant Sweep to finish them off. As the soldiers were subdued, Callum saw the dragons take off, leaving the boy confused. Noticing the prison bus, Callum saw it turned on its side and assumed that while the dragons weren't with the DUPs, they weren't on his side either. "Are you kidding me, dragons!? Either one of those escapees can make dragons... or I'm going after Thunder. And I don't like my odds in that match-up.", he said, referring to the King of Dragons of legend, who disappeared from the world, leaving the old dragons to their fate with the dinosaurs.


	14. Soren Takes Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When dragons begin capturing suspected Conduits before Callum can, Soren hatches a plan to fool the beasts

As Callum waited on the roof of a nearby building, his phone rang with the Caller ID belonging to Ezran. "Hey Callum, they found one of those vests the DUP suspects wear over by the Hing Hay Market. Guy it belonged to might still be there, there are lots of places to hide.", he said. "Oh, thanks for the tip. So where'd you disappear to earlier?", Callum asked, wanting an answer for why Ez just went radio silent. "Hey, well maybe Conduits don't have to go to the bathroom, but the rest of us do.", Ezran said. Callum raised an eyebrow at that response; something told him Ez wasn't telling the whole truth, but he gave the kid the benefit of a doubt. Still, something wasn't clear. "And how do you get all this information about what's going on?", Callum asked. For a teenager, he guessed, Ezran was really well informed. "In the Lantern District, the walls have ears and eyes. I just have friends in high places.", Ezran said. "Hmm, sounds like helpful friends.", Callum said. "Yeah, well I can't imagine better.", Ez said, hanging up. After taking out a D.U.P. Mobile Command Center at the Waterfront District, Callum headed for the Hing Hay Market, arriving at an alley. 

Callum immediately found one of the D.U.P. suspect vests laying discarded in the alley. "Let's see, if I had one of these on, I would want to get it off as fast as possible, because... well, because they're butt ugly. And I guess because they just scream: 'Attack me, I'm a suspected Bio-Terrorist.' So, you'd want someplace private to get undressed... with a door that locks... place to sit while you changed... A Porta-Potty would be perfect. You could kill two birds with one stone.", Callum said, using his new detective skills to figure out where another suspect would have gone. Opening a nearby Porta-Potty, Callum found it empty. "Not a great start.", he said. Moving further into the market, he heard someone with a thick Russian accent interrogating a nearby civilian. "Which of you are hiding them? Don't you know those Bio-Terrorists are the reason the D.U.P. is here in the first place?", they said, others joining in. "Great, bi-lingual bullying.", Callum said, slumping his shoulders in disappointment. It seemed that no matter where he went, there were people who hated Conduits. Checking a second Porta-Potty, Callum once again found it empty. "Nope.", he sighed. Heading for a third Porta-Potty, Callum hesitated for a second before moving to open the door. He didn't need to as the suspect barged the door open and ran off, knocking Callum over. "Hey, I'm not with the D.U.P! Or a freak who goes around opening occupied Porta-Potties!", Callum yelled, running after the suspect. They weren't hard to pinpoint from the crowd, the vest did a good job at making them stand out. Callum was about to catch up when another dragon swooped down and caught the suspect in their claws, flying away. "No, wait! I saw them first!", Callum yelled, giving chase with Light Speed. It proved fruitless as the dragon flew away faster than Light Speed could run on land. "Those dragons are quick!", Callum said, unbelieving that, once again, a Conduit has left him in the dust. Callum's phone rang and this time, the ID has Soren's number. "Hey Callum, I'm in the Lantern District, are you still here?", Soren asked, catching Callum's annoyance. "Yeah, about time you made it across.", Callum said. "What the hell is going on? I leave you alone for a couple hours and suddenly, dragons come back from the dead to dive-bomb people.", Soren said, having gotten reports of winged creatures grabbing D.U.P. suspects off the streets. "It's gotta have something to do with the Conduit we're looking for. I set free a bunch of prisoners the DUPs were moving. I think one of them might be our guy.", Callum explained. "Well, lucky for you, big brother's here. Finding escapees is what I do.", Soren said, offering his help. "Well, be on the lookout for anyone in a black and orange vest. I saw one on the ground in Hing Hay Market. It looked like a bitch to get off, locks all over it.", Callum said, fighting three remaining dragons who decided to breathe fire at him. "Gotta say, step-prince, you're getting really good at this 'man-hunt' thing. Maybe when we get back home, I'll deputize you. You can have an actual job for once.", Soren said, imagining him and Callum in a squad car. "No thanks. One cop in the family is embarrassing enough.", Callum said, remembering how everyone compared Callum to Soren and Aunt Amaya. They were good people, but Callum knew that his real calling was art, not police work. Callum looked for any signs of the escapees but didn't find one until he heard the Russian bullies start yelling again. "There's one trapped on the crane! Let's go get him!", they yelled, to which Callum decided to butt in. "You guys mind if I tag along?", he asked sarcastically, before bolting off with Light Speed. 

Sticking to the rooftops, Callum arrived at the construction site and saw a mob of those Russian men from before, yelling at someone on top of the crane. "Come down, so we can rip your freakshow head off!", one said. Callum didn't need these guys giving him or the suspect trouble and fired some Neon Beams at their legs. "Oh no, they got us surrounded!", another bully said. Some scrambled but others pulled guns and began to fire at Callum. "I didn't do anything to you!", the suspect cried from the crane. "You're a stain on humanity!", a bully yelled. After dealing with the Russians, Callum used Light Speed to reach the top of the crane. "Hey there! I just want to make a deal with you!", Callum yelled over the wind, balancing over to the suspect. "Don't come any closer!", the man yelled, standing precariously close to the edge. Callum tried to get closer but the suspect chose to jump instead. "No, no, don't!", Callum yelled. However, Callum's man-hunt caught the attention of the dragons once again as another caught the suspect before he fell to his death. "Oh, nice catch, wingman.", Callum said, jumping from the crane and using Neon Thrusters and Light Speed to follow the dragon. The building of the Lantern District, however, had something else to say to that. Callum couldn't follow the beast on the ground as the buildings obscured the sky but they were also too spread out to follow on the rooftops without running to the roof and losing ground. Eventually, Callum stopped, unable to continue the chase. His phone rang and the ID read Soren. "How's it going, step-deputy?", Soren said, making up a new nickname. "Whoever this dragon-maker is, he's pissing me off. They keep grabbing all the Conduits and I can't keep up.", Callum complained, annoyed that Light Speed still wasn't cutting it. He needed something to compete with the flying creatures. "So, 'same old, same old'?", Soren jabbed, remembering that Callum had a similar problem with Rayla when they first met. "And if the dragons aren't bad enough, there are these gangs of surly dudes out hunting the vestoids, too.", Callum said, remembering the Russian men yelling at the Conduit to commit suicide. "Those would be Akurans. An angry gang of bullies who like to cause trouble around the International District. You should stay clear of them.", Soren said. "So far, so good, but these guys are real scum-of-the-earth types.", Callum said. He's heard about this kind of bigotry in his history lessons, back when humans and elves were at each other's throats. But to see it in action, it was just stupid. "Relax, I think it's time you called in the cop, step-prince. Listen, meet me by the Porta-Potty in the Hing Hay Market. I got a crazy idea.", Soren said, smirking to himself. "Alright, I'll meet you by the... the Porta-Pot... listen, man, I don't know what...", Callum said, confused. "You can trust me. I'm a cop.", Soren said, starting to annoy Callum. "You know, I've noticed you like to mention that a lot.", Callum said, hanging up and absorbing some smoke, getting back to his roots.

Callum arrived back at the Hing Hay Market and looked for Soren near a line of Porta-Potties. What Callum did NOT expect was Soren to walk out of one of the Porta-Potties, dressed in a D.U.P. suspect vest. Callum's jaw dropped at the sight. "What?", was all Callum could say, completely dumbfounded. "What do you think? I mean it was a little bit of a pain getting on, especially in there. It smelled like someone had some Thai food... but what do you think? Chase me!", Soren said, confusing the Conduit even more. "You want me to chase you?", Callum repeated, unsure if he heard Soren right. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Chase me, shoot me... uh, shoot near me... NEAR ME, and we'll see what happens when one of the dragons shows up.", Soren said. "Yeah, cause I've got a really good batting average with the dragons right now. If they take you, man... they take you to Thunder knows where!", Callum said sarcastically. Soren decided to explain his plan. "Yeah, I know, okay, but look... You know how you're always losing your phone and you grab mine and find it?", Soren said, referring back to when Callum would lose his phone back in Katolis. "Right?", Callum said, getting an idea of where Soren was going. "Right, well we have a GPS link.", Soren said, Callum piecing it together now. "So you're like a big ugly tracking device, okay.", he said, annoying Soren. "Right, but look, we gotta make this look real, okay? NOT TOO real. Just real enough to fool the dragons. Get me?", Soren said, explaining the plan. "Oh, I can get you right between the eyes.", Callum said smirking, making wisps of smoke from his arm. "No, no. Just don't be a dick.", Soren said, walking off to perform his Bio-Terrorist scheme. Callum smirked to himself as Soren walked past. "I am so gonna be a dick.", he said, as Soren ran up to a group of people. He pulled his phone out, hoping to record this for everyone back home, and maybe to show Rayla later. 

"Ah fear me. I am a Bio-Terrorist! Run away in fear! For I have powers! Horrible, ugly, mean-spirited superpowers!", Soren yelled as Callum shot around him with Smoke Shot, scaring the people and causing them to flee. As Soren ran, Callum "chased" him down the street. "I'll never surrender!", Soren yelled back, keeping up the act as he arrived at a street corner. "I am a Bio-Terrorist! I eat children! And kittens!", Soren yelled, waving his arms around, embarrassing Callum. "Plea... Conduits don't really do that.", Callum mumbled, making sure to keep his distance from the "Bio-Terrorist". Soren continued to run down the street, Callum shooting smoke around him and intentionally missing. Soren turned into a Chinese-styled park and climbed to the top of a bridge. "Fear my powers world! Bow to my grandeur!", Soren yelled, jumping on the bridge. An elf who was fleeing Soren ran right into Callum and looked up to him. "You don't have to bow. Honest.", he said, confusing the elf. Soren continued running and causing terror in the streets. "Flee in terror, mortals! I could melt your faces with nothing more than my pinkie!", he yelled, embarrassing Callum even further. "And cops wet the bed.", he said, continuing to shoot Smoke Shot at Soren. As Soren ran back out to the main road, Both he and Callum were shocked when a dragon flew down and snatched Soren in its claws. "And we have lift-off.", Callum said, draining a Neon sign. "Hey! Hey! Follow my phone! And don't be a dick!", Soren yelled as the dragon carried him higher and higher. Callum used Light Speed to keep up with the dragon, following Soren's GPS link. "Hey, maybe a little slower. It's my first time with a dragon, you know.", Soren said. Callum tried to follow but got hit by another dragon and was forced to kill it to continue following the dragon that stole Soren. "Wow, you dragons have really nice claws. Any of the other abductees tell you that?", Soren said as Callum followed the two. "Listen, I just wanted to make sure if you know where you're going? I'm just saying maybe we could probably stop and ask for directions.", Soren said. Callum continued to lose sight of them but using Soren's GPS link, he scaled to the top of an apartment complex and found where the dragon was taking Soren.

Looking down at a park square, Callum saw dragons emerge from giant screens that were advertising a strange new game, Land of Beasts. "Video Dragons, I should'a seen that coming.", Callum said, jumping down. Using Phosphor Beam, Callum started to break the screens, rendering them useless. The dragons roared as their portals were being deactivated and began to attack Callum with pixelated fire breath. "Oooo, you don't like when I shoot the screen, do ya? Is that your home? That where Thunder hangs his crown at night? Yeah, keep coming, I'll take you all down!", Callum yelled as he continued to break the screens. Soren saw this as well and noticed that the dragon that was carrying him staggered a bit. "That's it. Keep shooting the screen. I think it's really putting the hurt on them.", Soren said. Callum drained a nearby neon sign and shot Neon Beam at some of the dragons, exploding them. "That all you got? You fight like cherubim.", Callum said, noticing some more creatures appear through the screen. They weren't dragons. They were demons. The demons then target Callum and dive-bombed him, sacrificing themselves. Callum tried to destroy more screens but the dragons seemed to be using their inborn magic to give the screens reflective shielding. "Stop being so fluttery and let me get a shot!", Callum yelled, destroying a dragon and causing more demons to spawn. "Oh, I am so gonna burn in hell for this.", Callum said, dodging the demon attacks and dragon fire. After destroying the screens all the video constructs disappeared. Callum caught his breath after a lengthy fight. "I never liked commercials anyway. Now where did Soren end up?", Callum said, looking for his "brother".

Soren was hanging onto a pole for dear life but when he finally opened his eyes after not hearing anymore of the dragons or demons, he realized that he was safely on the ground and that no one was around. "Oh, fuuu... Worst idea, ever. Oh, what the hell?", Soren groaned, his back aching. He must have been dropped when the dragon disappeared. "Whew! I gotta hand it to you, big brother, you make excellent live bait.", Callum said, Soren looking unamused. "What? It worked, didn't it? We found the Dragon Conduit's lair, now we go take him out. Come on, you coming with me, or what?", Callum said, patting Soren's arm. "I'm gonna take this shit off, then I'm gonna cry myself to sleep. There has gotta be a ton of weird, spiky shit down there and that... brother, is all you.", Soren said, referring to the glowing basement that the dragon brought them to. As he walked away, Soren groaned, his back killing him. "Don't walk away mad. It was your plan!", Callum said, Soren flipping him off over his shoulder. Callum just smiled and gave Soren the peace sign... or the sign for cunnilingus, depending on what you think.


	15. The Land of Beasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum enters the Dragon Conduit's lair and uncovers a huge secret about the Conduit's identity

Right as Callum was about to enter the Conduit's Lair, Ezran called. "Callum-", Ez said, before Callum cut him off. "Ezran, wanted to thank you for your help. Found the Conduit's hideout and I'm about to head inside.", Callum said, staring at the entrance to the basement. "That's a bad idea-!", Ezran said, panic in his voice. "Hey, he's a Conduit who doesn't even do his own fighting, how hard can it be?", Callum said dismissively. "No, no, really, don't go in there!", Ezran pleaded, but Callum just brushed his warnings off. "I'll call you when it's over.", Callum said, lifting the metal gate and descending into the lair. "Alright, time to learn a few new tricks.", Callum said. 

Callum walked down the stairs into a medium sized room, filled with electronics and a couple of arcade machines. "Okay, so this is where the dragons get resurrected.", Callum said, looking around and finding no one. "Hellooo, anybody home?", Callum yelled, walking around. He walked towards a fenced area with a few screens. Just then, the screens came to life and Callum could feel them drag him into them. Callum opened his eyes again to find that he was now on a platform in a volcano. "Where the hell am I?", he said, walking towards a weird glow. Stepping inside of it, the glow launched him into the air. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, okay.", Callum said, gliding towards another platform that floated in the air. Just then, Callum witnessed dozens of dragons come together and formed a massive dragon. And from the looks of it, Callum could tell that this was it, the Conduit he'd been looking for. "Okay, bigger than I hoped.", Callum said, looking at the massive beast. " **Zu'u am Azymondias, Fin Dovah Kulaan, ahrk hi lost invadaan dii domain** ", the dragon said. "Say what?", Callum yelled, not understanding the dragon. " **Ugh, voculturaan Mey. I am Azymondias, The Dragon Prince, and you have invaded my domain.** ", Azymondias said, his voice booming throughout the volcano. "No one's invading your dominion, okay? I just want to share your powers.", Callum yelled to Zym, which he decided to call the dragon. Callum ran circles around Zym, firing some Neon Beams at him. When that didn't work, Callum charged and fired a Phosphor Beam, staggering the Dragon Prince. Zym himself breathed fire at the boy, and occasionally called down thunderbolts to strike him. As Callum tried to drain a Neon crystal, Zym doused the boy in flames, interrupting him and causing him to run away. Callum fired one more Phosphor Beam at the Dragon, before the beast yelled something in it's language. " **Nahl Dah Vus!** ", Zym shouted, as he disappeared and Callum felt another tug. 

Callum reemerged from the screen, covered in blue pixels. "Dammit! Gotta get back in there.", he said to himself. As Callum ventured to the other side of the room, he found a lot of discarded D.U.P. suspect vests. "Lots of vests but no people. What'd he do with 'em?", Callum mumbled as he approached another set of screens, getting dragged back inside. Zym was there, waiting for him. "Saw all the vests in your basement. What're you doing with the people your dragons grab?", Callum yelled. " **I offer my invited guests salvation, not suffering!** ", Zym boomed, getting ready to use Fire Breath. "I NEED your powers!", Callum yelled at Zym, trying to find a power source. " **You NEED to leave! Yol Toor Shul!** ", Zym yelled, breathing fire at the Conduit. Callum avoided the attack and drained a Neon crystal to recharge his Heavy attacks. Once he finished, however, Zym hit Callum with two thunderbolts, knocking Callum into the lava below. "Ow, ow, yeah, that's what I thought. It's lava.", Callum said, the magma burning his skin. If he wasn't a Conduit, Callum would've burned to a crisp immediately. Using a lift, Callum launched into the air and hit Zym with another Phosphor Beam, causing the dragon to break apart into smaller dragons and move away. "Not so easy when you can't have a minion pick me up and fly me away.", Callum taunted until he felt a rumbling. " **Gol Mah Ag!** ", Zym boomed. "...unless, of course, you make the platforms fall!", Callum said, tripping off a platform and back into the lava. "Ow, crap. Gotta stop doing that.", Callum said to himself. Taking one of the lifts, Callum launched back to the next set of platforms and barely avoided another Fire Breath from Zym. Retaliating with some Neon Beams, Callum staggered the Dragon Prince and climbed to another platform that held a glowing red cauldron which emitted smoke. Firing a few more Neon Beams at Zym, Callum quickly switched to Smoke before getting hit by a Fire Breath, knocking Callum off the platform. The Smoke Conduit quickly recovered and used another lift to launch back up and hit Zym with a Cinder Missile. " **Gol Mah Ag!** ", Zym yelled in Draconic, sending the platforms back into the lava. Callum rushed to another launcher and used his Smoke Thrusters to control his descent. Hitting another launcher, Callum just missed the launch platform and fell into the lava for the third time. "Out of the lava, Callum. Now!", he yelled, climbing back onto the launch platform and launched over to the massive dragon. " **Yol Toor Shul!** ", Zym shouted, barely missing Callum with his Fire Breath. Getting behind the cover of a pillar, Callum drained a nearby Neon crystal and shot a Phosphor Beam, staggering Zym, who retaliated with Fire Breath. " **Strun Qo Su'um!** ", Zym shouted, shooting lightning from his ten horns, breaking some pillars on a platform, limiting Callum's cover. Callum shot several Neon Beams at Zym, forcing Zym to change locations. " **Gol Mah Ag! Dovah Tah Fiem!** ", Zym shouted as he faded into a swarm of dragons and sent the platform back the lava. Callum shot some dragons out of the air and then scrambled to a launcher but realized too late that it was opposite of Zym. Launching into the air, Callum tried to use Neon Thrusters to glide to the next launcher but missed again. "Damn, this is definitely a safety hazard.", Callum said, launching to avoid Zym's Thunderstrike and hid behind a pillar to avoid his Fire Breath. 

Draining another Neon crystal, Callum jumped back into the fight, firing a Phosphor Beam at Zym, following it up with several Neon Beams. " **Strun Qo Su'um!** ", Zym shouted, firing more thunderbolts. One managed to hit Callum and send him down to a launch pad, Callum's face just above the lava he'd been trying to avoid. Getting back up and launching, Callum shot Zym several times with Neon Beam, running to avoid a retaliatory Fire Breath. Seeing a Smoke cauldron, Callum switched back to Smoke, before getting hit with another Thunderstrike. Standing his ground, Callum jumped back to another platform and fired two Cinder Missles. One flew just under Zym's wing but another hit him right in the snout as he was charging a Fire Breath. " **Gol Mah Ag! Dovah Tah Fiem!** ", Zym shouted, shifting the platforms once again and dispersing amongst the Video Dragons. Callum, luckily, did not have to travel far for the next set of platforms. Using another launch platform, Callum soared to another Smoke cauldron and drained it. Zym, however, took advantage of Callum's vulnerability and casted Thunderstrike, knocking Callum off the platform and sending him back into the lava. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow.", Callum said. Zym maintained his aggression and used Fire Breath while Callum was still trying to get out of the lava. Cal's fast-healing couldn't keep up, sending the Conduit into a panic as he launched back up. Firing Cinder Missles at the Dragon Prince, Callum realized that his heavy attacks did more damage to Zym than his normal ones and quickly drained a Neon crystal. Jumping off the platform to avoid another Thunderstrike, Callum used a launch pad to soar back and fired a Phosphor Beam right at Zym. While Zym readied his next attack, Callum shot another Phosphor Beam and Zym decided to cast Callum out. " **Nahl Dah Vus!** ", Zym shouted and Callum was sent back to the physical world.

Callum reemerged from the screen once again, covered in pixels. "And I'm back in the penalty box.", Callum sighed, looking for another screen to use. "But I'm not leaving until I get what I came for.", Callum said, finding a new door open. Following the small hallway, Callum entered a room with several arcade machines and computer monitors. Walking up to the monitors, Callum once again felt the tug of Zym. 

Zym witnessed Callum third unwanted entry and was beginning to become tired of the Conduit. " **I grow tired of your company. Dovah vahlok!** ", Zym yelled, his voice echoing off the volcanic walls. At his cry, several dragons appeared and began shielding the prince. Callum swiftly defeated two with Neon Beam and looked for a power source to drain. "Your flying nursemaids can't protect you forever! You're just delaying the inevitable.", Callum yelled, destroying the other dragons with Neon Beam before Zym hit him once again with Thunderstrike, sending Callum into the lava. "Enough with the goddamn lava!", Callum yelled, beginning to get angry with the dragon. Launching back to the platforms, Callum whittled away at Zym with Neon Beam. As Zym used Fire Breath, Callum ran around the attack, draining a Neon crystal as it ended. Using the lifts to gain height, Callum shot Zym twice with Phosphor Beam. " **Gol Mah Ag!** ", Zym shouted, sending the platforms down as he changed positions, summoning more dragons to shield him. Callum hopped between lifts, using Neon Thrusters to glide across. Zym hit Callum with Fire Breath, but the Conduit withstood the attack and drained a Neon crystal to recharge his heavy attacks. As Callum used Neon Beam to destroy the dragons shielding the prince, he noticed that it affected Zym as well, staggering the beast. Hitting Zym with three Phosphor Beams, Callum ran as the beast used Fire Breath, trying to get an opening to attack. Getting that opening, Callum fired several Neon Beams as Zym fled again, using his shout to send the platforms down. Callum followed and saw that Zym kept increasing the number of dragons used to shield him. Destroying five dragons, Callum took cover behind a pillar and drained a Neon crystal. Hitting Zym with three more Phosphor Beams, Callum felt Zym's power waning. The Dragon Prince was weakening, he knew it. Zym shouted again to send the platforms down and flew to his next position. Callum used the lifts and followed, seeing Zym summon six dragons to shield himself. Callum saw Zym charge another Thunderstrike and destroyed a dragon to interrupt the attack. However, Zym managed to get one shot off and it hit Callum right back into the lava. Callum said nothing as he climbed back up and launched over to a nearby Neon crystal. Taking cover as Zym coated the area with fire, Callum drained the crystal and destroyed the remaining dragons, leaving Zym with no shield. Hitting the dragon with three more Phosphor Beams, Callum pelted Zym with follow-up Neon Beams. With one final beam, Callum defeated Zym as the dragon glitched out of existence, seeing a trail of pixels fall into the lava below.

The Conduit reappeared in the physical world, out of breath and on his hands and knees. Callum reemerged not long after and caught a glimpse of who "Azymondias" really was. He was a boy, probably a couple years younger than him. He had tan skin, freckles, puffy brown hair that was hidden under a red and white striped hoodie. He wore a mahogany red shirt, white fingerless gloves, green pants, an orange backpack and he had turquoise blue eyes, which held fear now that Callum looked at him. Callum rose to his feet and reached for the Conduit's hand, scaring the boy. "Don't hurt me, Callum!", the boy yelled in a voice that Callum recognized. It was Ezran! No wonder why Ez didn't want him in here! As their hands touched, their arms became covered in swirling blue pixels and Callum looked as Ez's face began to blur, peering into Ezran's memories. 

_At school, I always tried to blend in... To fade into the background... To disappear. But the bullies found me anyway. They always do. The only place I felt like I belonged was with animals like my pet glow toad, Bait, and that game, "Land of Beasts." That game blended my love of animals with the fun of technology, and when I was there, **I**  made the rules. I could summon dragons to protect the victims... and demons to punish the bullies. But the real world...? That I couldn't control. At first, I did my best to ignore them. Until that one day, when they took Bait and... and they pushed me too far! When the D.U.P. came, they said they were taking me to a new school... Designed for people like me... Different. For six years, she hooked me up to her machines. Made me call them out... Always stopping before they could save me. Then, that crash... That was my chance... To finally... really disappear. Where no one could find me... Hurt me. But when I saw them rounding up more people who were... different... I know what she was going to do to them. And I knew... I knew we had to stop her._

Callum awoke in Ezran's basement to the sound of Soren's voice. "Callum! Callum?", Soren yelled as Cal rose to his feet wearily. "Okay, that's starting to get old.", Callum groaned as he got up, referring to his aching body. "I didn't hear from you in a while so I came running. You okay?", Soren asked, helping Callum on his feet. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, man. Couldn't have done it without you. Oh wait, I already did. Speaking of, man... you're not gonna believe what I can do now.", Callum said, looking at his hands and arms, but feeling nothing new. Callum brushed it off as him just getting used to having multiple powers. "Soon as I figure out what it is I CAN do.", Callum said as Soren walked around him towards Ezran. "The important thing is that you got a kidnapper off the streets.", Soren said, lifting Ezran to his feet, waking to Video Conduit up and causing him to back up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Bro. Not 'kidnapper', he's more like a 'rescuer.'", Callum said, coming to Ezran's defense. Soren couldn't believe that Callum was ignoring the crimes that these Conduits commit. Rayla committed murder and now this one had kidnapped dozens of people. "Callum, listen to me. He took suspected Conduits right off the street, against their will... that's kidnapping.", Soren said, reaching for Ezran again when Callum stepped between them. "Okay, don't go anywhere.", Callum said to Ez. First of all, thank you for using the word, 'Conduit.' Second of all, why are you being such a dick?", Callum said to Soren, who rolled his eyes. "Fine. Let's just agree to disagree. But we both know it's better for everyone if he goes in a cage.", Soren said, pointing at Ezran. 

Callum realized that he had another choice here. He could help Ezran build up his courage by working with him to save helpless victims, or he could break Ez of his fear of bullies by showing him how strong he really is. 

Callum went with the first option but decided to get Soren to leave so the two of them could talk. "Just hang out for a second.", Callum told Ezran. "Can I talk to you?", Callum said to Soren leading him away from Ezran to talk with Soren in private. Soren followed but glared at Ezran who just looked up at him and shrunk back a bit. "I thought you were all about rule of law, not locking people up without due process.", Callum said as Soren walked up. "Hey, normally, that's what I'd do...", Soren said. "Oh what, so it just gets thrown out the window whenever it gets convenient for you, is that it? Just put a black wig and an old trench coat on and start calling you Claudia.", Callum said, accusing his brother of being just like Claudia. Soren felt offended but saw where Callum was coming from. Deciding to let Callum handle it, Soren just joked to Callum. "Maybe next Halloween.", Soren said. "Cool, so 'game boy' and I over there are gonna have a little conversation Conduit-to-Conduit. No 'normals' allowed.", Callum said, Soren getting deju vu. He looked at Ezran for a second before just deciding to just let Callum handle it. "Fine. If you need me, I'll be right outside.", he said before walking away. "Oh and thank you for all your help. Couldn't have done it without you. Oh wait, I already did.", Callum said. "'You already did', I know. It wasn't funny the first time.", Soren yelled back as Callum turned to Ezran. "So, whaddya say, Ez? You and me, couple Conduits, hit the town? You show me some of your new Video tricks, I show you how to pick up some girls. Maybe rescue some of our marked brethren.", Callum said, Ezran giving him an unsure look. "I don't think so. I still feel safer in here.", Ezran said, not wanting to leave the safety of his basement. "C'mon, man... you keep staying down here and playing Dragons and Demons, you're never gonna get laid.", Callum said, causing Ez to lower his head. Cal realized that he hurt Ezran's feelings and tried to cheer him up and motivate him. "Listen man, it's your life but there is a way for us to live out there in the real world... But it's up to us to make it happen. You think about that, you let me know... okay?", Callum said as he exited the basement, leaving Ezran to think about Callum's words.


	16. Corrupt Ezran

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil Karma Chapter
> 
> Callum decides to recruit Ezran to his cause, and Ezran becomes quickly influenced.

The Conduit reappeared in the physical world, out of breath and on his hands and knees. Callum reemerged not long after and caught a glimpse of who "Azymondias" really was. He was a boy, probably a couple years younger than him. He had tan skin, freckles, puffy brown hair that was hidden under a red and white striped hoodie. He wore a mahogany red shirt, white fingerless gloves, green pants, an orange backpack and he had turquoise blue eyes, which held fear now that Callum looked at him. Callum rose to his feet and reached for the Conduit's hand, scaring the boy. "Don't hurt me, Callum!", the boy yelled in a voice that Callum recognized. It was Ezran! No wonder why Ez didn't want him in here! As their hands touched, their arms became covered in swirling blue pixels and Callum looked as Ez's face began to blur, peering into Ezran's memories.

_At school, I always tried to blend in... To fade into the background... To disappear. But the bullies found me anyway. They always do. The only place I felt like I belonged was with animals like my pet glow toad, Bait, and that game, "Land of Beasts." That game blended my love of animals with the fun of technology, and when I was there, **I**  made the rules. I could summon dragons to protect the victims... and demons to punish the bullies. But the real world...? That I couldn't control. At first, I did my best to ignore them. Until that one day, when they took Bait and... and they pushed me too far! When the D.U.P. came, they said they were taking me to a new school... Designed for people like me... Different. For six years, she hooked me up to her machines. Made me call them out... Always stopping before they could save me. Then, that crash... That was my chance... To finally... really disappear. Where no one could find me... Hurt me. But when I saw them rounding up more people who were... different... I know what she was going to do to them. And I knew... I knew we had to stop her._

Callum awoke in Ezran's basement to the sound of Soren's voice. "Callum! Callum?", Soren yelled as Cal rose to his feet wearily. "Okay, that's starting to get old.", Callum groaned as he got up, referring to his aching body. "I didn't hear from you in a while so I came running. You okay?", Soren asked, helping Callum on his feet. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, man. Couldn't have done it without you. Oh wait, I already did. Speaking of, man... you're not gonna believe what I can do now.", Callum said, looking at his hands and arms, but feeling nothing new. Callum brushed it off as him just getting used to having multiple powers. "Soon as I figure out what it is I CAN do.", Callum said as Soren walked around him towards Ezran. "The important thing is that you got a kidnapper off the streets.", Soren said, lifting Ezran to his feet, waking to Video Conduit up and causing him to back up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Bro. Not 'kidnapper', he's more like a 'rescuer.'", Callum said, coming to Ezran's defense. Soren couldn't believe that Callum was ignoring the crimes that these Conduits commit. Rayla committed murder and now this one had kidnapped dozens of people. "Callum, listen to me. He took suspected Conduits right off the street, against their will... that's kidnapping.", Soren said, reaching for Ezran again when Callum stepped between them. "Okay, don't go anywhere.", Callum said to Ez. First of all, thank you for using the word, 'Conduit.' Second of all, why are you being such a dick?", Callum said to Soren, who rolled his eyes. "Fine. Let's just agree to disagree. But we both know it's better for everyone if he goes in a cage.", Soren said, pointing at Ezran.

Callum realized that he had another choice here. He could help Ezran build up his courage by working with him to save helpless victims, or he could break Ez of his fear of bullies by showing him how strong he really is.

Callum decided on the second option but he needed Soren to clear out. "Just hang out for a second.", Callum told Ezran. "Can I talk to you?", Callum said to Soren leading him away from Ezran to talk with Soren in private. Soren followed but glared at Ezran who just looked up at him and shrunk back a bit. "I thought you were all about rule of law, not locking people up without due process.", Callum said as Soren walked up. "Hey, normally, that's what I'd do...", Soren said. "Oh what, so it just gets thrown out the window whenever it gets convenient for you, is that it? Just put a black wig and an old trench coat on and start calling you Claudia.", Callum said, accusing his brother of being just like Claudia. Soren felt offended but saw where Callum was coming from. Deciding to let Callum handle it, Soren just joked to Callum. "Maybe next Halloween.", Soren said. "Cool, so 'game boy' and I over there are gonna have a little conversation Conduit-to-Conduit. No 'normals' allowed.", Callum said, Soren getting deju vu. He looked at Ezran for a second before just deciding to just let Callum handle it. "Fine. If you need me, I'll be right outside.", he said before walking away. "Oh and thank you for all your help. Couldn't have done it without you. Oh wait, I already did.", Callum said. "'You already did', I know. It wasn't funny the first time.", Soren yelled back as Callum turned to Ezran. "So, Ezran! My brother, what do you say? You and me, couple of Conduits, we hit the town? You teach me some of those Video tricks, I teach you how to pick up girls. We take our power to the people.", he said, clapping his hands together. "Well, I'd like to find the Russians that were picking on the suspected Conduits and kick the shit out of them for a change.", Ezran said enthusiastically, surprising Callum. "Dude, I wanna party with you. It's a date then, yeah?", Callum said, causing Ez to chuckle. "Right.", Ezran said, smiling. "We will rise up! And we will teach them to accept us.", Callum said, raising his hands to the ceiling as he backed away. "Even if it kills them.", Callum mumbled darkly, walking out of the basement to go and test out his new powers.


	17. Zero to Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum learns of a new weakness to his power... the hard way

Exiting the basement, Callum walked back out to the square where he fought the dragons earlier. "Time to check out the new arsenal.", he said, aiming with his hand to test out his new video powers... but nothing came out. "Not a great start.", he said, thinking he probably needed a Core Relay. "In the meantime...", Callum said, trying to drain a Neon block, but his arm burned and he stumbled back. "What!? No, no, no. This can NOT be happening!", Callum said, panicking. Just then, Soren called. "Okay, step-prince, I sent you a new Core Re-", Soren said before Callum cut him off. "Soren, man, I need you. I... all of my powers are gone! I got nothing new from Ez or any of the old stuff...", Callum said, his voice shaking a bit. "What? Stay where you are, I'm coming.", Soren said, concerned. "No, it's too open here. Um... GPS says the Core Relay's in an alley a few blocks away...", Callum said, starting to see the world as he did before he got his powers. "Got it, meet you there.", Soren said, hanging up. Callum ran through the streets and made sure to avoid any DUPs or Akurans. He saw a few beat up a suspected Conduit and Callum clenched his fist tightly. "They are lucky I don't have powers.", Callum said. Turning into an alley, Callum approached Soren, who was playing a game of some kind on his phone next to the Core Relay. "Thank god, you're here Soren, I need your help-", Callum said before Soren cut him off. "Wait, slow down, did you say you've lost all of your powers?", Soren asked, not sure if Cal was for real or not. "Yes! I lost all my powers! I-I-I lost Smoke... I lost Neon... I never even got Video-", Callum said before Soren interrupted him again. "Callum, this is great! This is great news, man!", Soren said happily, hugging Callum, who was extremely confused. "How the hell is this 'great news'!? I've got a thousand DUPs after me and I've got nothing to go on?", Callum said, pushing Soren off of him. "Remember, we said we were going to find you a cure for you and this is it! All that Bio-Terrorist stuff... it's gone. Callum, we can go home now.", Soren said, finally able to fulfill his father's wish. Callum, on the other hand, was not only confused but very angry. "'Go home'?", Callum said, not understanding why Soren wanted to go back to Katolis. "Listen to me, you've given it your best. Katolis knows that, your aunt knows that, I know that. It is a miracle you are even still alive. I mean please, can't we just quit while you're ahead, for once?", Soren explained, hoping that Callum would stop. Callum, however, didn't want to stop. Callum had come so far, and he NEEDED Claudia's powers. If he didn't get them, he'd have to watch as Aunt Amaya and everyone in the Banther Lodge slowly died. And something told him Soren wasn't being straight with him. "Tell me the truth... if you were me, would you just quit and go home?", Callum asked. "Absolutely... if I were you.", Soren said. Callum couldn't believe that Soren would just up and leave and put his foot down. "I don't care if I have to throw rocks... I am going to get Claudia.", Callum said, getting in Soren's face. Soren should've known that Callum wouldn't have given up but he still had to try and do what his father asked. "But since I'd rather avoid the whole 'David and Goliath throwing rocks' thing, I really need your help.", Callum said, walking towards the Core Relay. "Well, it seems that you've already made up your mind, so why do you need me?", Soren asked, ready to leave with or without Callum. "Well. If I'm going to have any chance of getting  _any_  powers back, it's gonna be through one of these Core Relays.", Callum said, patting the side of the machine. "Of course...", Soren bitterly chuckled. "BUT, dammit Soren, I can't crack any of these things without any powers, alright? So I don't actually need you... I need your gun.", Callum said, to which Soren scoffed. "No. No, no, no. You're not getting my gun and that is final.", Soren said, walking past Callum. Callum couldn't believe this; all this time he's been shooting smoke and lasers and now using a gun is too far? It's not like he was gonna keep it! 

Soren stopped at the alley's exit and then looked back at Callum. Even though his father wanted Callum home by any means, this just felt like a betrayal to him. He came to a decision and drew his pistol, shooting the Core Relay open, causing Callum to flinch at the gunshots. Callum looked in disbelief at Soren, who put his pistol away and smirked. "But maybe I will let you have a few of my bullets.", Soren said. Callum smiled at his "brother" and thanked him before using his natural Absorption power to drain the Core Relay and activate his powers. In the ensuing vision, Callum saw himself cover himself in hard-to-see pixels. His vision over, Callum's arms glowed with pixel effects. "I know I'm going to asking, but what's new?", Soren asked, wondering what new thing Callum just got. "You might wanna stand back.", Callum said as Soren back away a bit. Activating his new power, Callum covered himself in hard-to-see pixels as he crouched down. Soren smirked as he could tell that Callum was not exactly happy with how anticlimactic his power was. "Good thing I stood back.", Soren said, smirking as Callum became visible again. "Well, maybe the next one will have, like... projectiles... or, you know... some kind of bashing... I'll call and let you know.", Callum said before Soren grabbed him. "Oh no, I'm coming with you.", Soren said. "No, you're not. I got this now.", Callum said, wanting to find the next Core Relay. "Unless you're planning to 'invisible' the next Core Relay open, you still need me. Besides, you don't know where it is.", Soren said, leading Callum to the nearby docks. "I guess if you got stuck with only one power, invisibility isn't so bad.", Soren said, trying to lighten the mood a bit. "No kidding. I've been planning what I would do if I could turn invisible since I hit puberty.", Callum said, smirking to himself. "Aaand, this conversation is now over.", Soren said, leading Callum to the Core Relay at the end of the docks. "Okay, Soren, go ahead and 'cop' it open", Callum as Soren drew his pistol and shot the Core Relay, opening it. Quickly draining the Core Relay, Callum saw himself swing a digitally constructed sword to attack some DUPs. "Oh-ho-ho... jackpot!", Callum yelled in excitement. "I hope so, 'cause we got D.U.P. headed our way.", Soren said, getting behind cover while Callum used Predator Advantage to turn invisible. Sneaking up on one of the Pawns while they closed in on Soren, Callum broke his invisibility to subdue the Pawn with three digital swords, pinning the Pawn to the docks. "See? How cool is this?", Callum said. At his appearance, the other soldiers fired at Callum. Dodging their bullets, Callum swung his new sword, which he swung slowly as it was still kinda heavy, to strike the DUPs and then subduing the ones who surrendered. "Soren, you okay?", Callum asked, hoping that nothing happened to the cop. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get to the next Core Relay.", Soren said, holstering his gun. Callum had other plans. "Sorry, it's getting too dangerous for you to keep tagging along.", Callum said, going invisible and getting away from Soren as fast as possible.

Once Callum was out of sight, he ran into a problem. "Okay, the next Core Relay is... where?", he said to himself. "Hey, remember me? The guy who knows where the next Core Relay is?", Soren said, having heard Callum through his phone. "Gonna have to put you on hold.", Callum said, hanging up on Soren and calling the latest addition to the team. "Ez, it's Callum. Listen, your 'friends' have probably done some aerial recon around here, right?", Callum asked. "Yeah.", Ez said, not sure what it is Callum needed. "I need you to help me find something... you know those glowing boxes the DUP's put up around town?", Callum asked, hoping that Ezran had something. "Sure, hold on... Hey, there's one not far from you.", Ezran said, sending a GPS marker to Callum's phone. "Thanks. Oh hey, I've seen a couple of those Suspected Bio-Terrorists still getting harassed on the streets. Whaddya say? I've got this new sword, we could help 'em out.", Callum suggested, hoping to see more of Ez's Video power. "How cool is that sword, huh?", Ezran asked, having swung a sword around a few times. "I know, right? So, you interested?", Callum asked. "No, that's okay. I've got Level 11 Dragons waiting for me in the Valley of Death", Ezran said, not exactly ready to step out yet. "Then, by all means, you must go to them.", Callum said, navigating the alleys. Coming upon the Core Relay, Callum also witnessed two people beating up a Suspected Bio-Terrorist. Pushing the people away, Callum healed the man's injuries, receiving his thanks. Callum gave him a thumbs-up before breaking the cap off the Core Relay. Draining the Core Relay, Callum saw himself transform into a digital Moon Phoenix and fly for a short time. He could even use satellites to launch into the air. Recovering from the vision, Callum saw four lasers mark his body. Rolling to the side, Callum barely avoided getting sniped by D.U.P. snipers. Using his new power, Callum swooped up to the roofs and used a satellite to escape. "Hey Ezran, I know you'd rather be alone with your with your demons, but I just got ambushed by D.U.P. snipers. You're gonna have to pitch in here, pal.", Callum said, hoping Ez could lend some support. "That's okay, I'm good. But I'll send some dragons.", Ezran said, hoping that they'll be enough to help Callum.

"Well, now I can run AND hide. Let's see what's next.", Callum said, swooping up the buildings. Just then, Ezran called. "I... uh... I meant to ask... the girl... the one on the bus... is she okay?", Ezran asked nervously. "Oh yeah, Rayla? She's great.", Callum said simply said, before realizing what Ezran might've meant. "Oh, listen dude, she's... man, she's out of your league. I mean, you gotta learn to crawl before you can hop aboard the rocket sled.", Callum said, not mentioning that he and Rayla were kinda a thing already. "Dude, I didn't mean that! Just... caring for a fellow Conduit, y'know?", Ezran said, Callum not believing him. "Did that guy, the guy who caused the crash, did he get away?", Ezran asked. "Corvus? Oh, Corvus, uh... Claudia caught him. Killed him.", Callum said, remembering Claudia encasing Corvus in concrete. "Wow, on the bus, all he talked about was getting home to see his little girl.", Ezran said sadly, thinking how that little girl must be, not knowing she won't get to see her father again. "Don't worry, I'll be dealing with Claudia soon enough.", Callum said, approaching the building from the ground. "Nice to have a few wingmen this time around.", he said, seeing a small group of dragons circling the Core Relay. Swooping up the building, Callum noticed some D.U.P choppers spinning up. "Let's see, I can disappear, stab, and run. Not exactly a great anti-aircraft strategy.", Callum said, breaking open the Core Relay and draining it. In the vision, Callum shot a marker that spawned three digital swords that all chased after the marker, powerful enough to destroy an APC. Recovering from the vision, Callum saw that the dragons were starting to fly away, just as the chopper arrived. "Where're you going? This is the fun part!", he yelled at the fleeing beasts. Ignoring them, Callum shot a marker at one of the encroaching choppers, watching as the Bloodthirsty Blades flew towards their target. Shooting another marker, Callum dodged a volley of rockets and drained a screen from one of the satellites, restoring his Bloodthirsty Blades. Firing another marker right at the cockpit, Callum managed to blow up the chopper and called Ezran to give him a piece of his mind. "Hey Ezran, not to sound ungrateful, but do you think maybe next time you could send less cowardly dragons?", Callum said, very annoyed. "I thought you just wanted them to warn you.", Ezran said, defensively. "Dude, you can't just half-ass this. We Conduits have got to take care of our own.", Callum said in a lecturing tone. "Okay, next time... I promise. I found another one.", Ezran said, hoping to make up for his mistake. "Okay, not too far from here. Thanks.", Callum said, jumping from the roof and using Video Thrusters to slow his descent.

"Oh hey, Callum, there's a bunch of DUPs heading for the same place you are. But don't worry, you'll have help when you get there.", Ezran said, reassuring the older Conduit. "Nice to hear you got your boys to 'sack up' this time. Well, have 'em bring whatever they've got because I'm gonna need their help here.", Callum said, breaking the Core Relay and absorbing it's energy. In the vision, Callum saw himself fire a continuous stream of pixelated projectiles. It was a basic attack, but Callum needed something to use other than his previous abilities. Recovering from the vision, Callum saw a couple D.U.P. soldiers arrive, probably more than he could handle alone. But he wasn't alone, as Ezran's dragons swooped down and breathed fire upon some soldier giving Callum some leeway. With Video Torrent's submachine gun-like qualities, Callum and the dragons managed to defeat the DUPs relatively easy. "Yeah! Go Team Freak!", Callum cheered as the dragons soared away. "Okay, yeah, 'yahoo' and all, but I've got bad news... I've located another Core Relay.", Ezran said, confusing the older boy. "How is that bad news?", Callum asked, unsure how another Core Relay could be bad. "There's a bunch of D.U.P in that area. But maybe you've already got enough powers. Why take the risk since we don't even know what you'll get?", Ezran asked, not wanting Callum to put himself at unnecessary risk. "Hey, don't 'Ezran' out on me, okay? If we set our minds to it, there's nothing a couple of young stud Conduits and a buttload of Dragons and Demons can't accomplish.", Callum said, hoping to motivate Ezran. "I don't know about 'stud'.", Ezran chuckled, not thinking himself the "lady's type". Callum rolled his eyes at Ez's complacency. "I'll call you when I get there.", he said.

Taking some time to gather Blast Shards and upgrade his powers, Callum arrived at a parking structure and called Ezran. "Okay, Ez, here's the plan. I'm gonna sneak around to the side while-", he said before Ezran cut him off. "Yahoo!", Ezran cheered as several dragons and demons began to assault the DUPs. Callum was dumbfounded, to say the least. "Okay. New plan.", he said, jumping into the fray. He noticed that some of the video constructs were getting shot out of the sky and that some demons were divebombing into some DUPs, taking them with them. "Come on, Ez. You can do better than this... you Conduit stud, you. Alright, fellas, let's win one for the gamer!", Callum yelled, charging into battle with Video Torrent. Clearing out the DUPs, Callum was finally able to drain the Core Relay. In the vision, Callum saw himself stick his arms forward and call dragons to fall out of the sky, divebombing enemies. Recovering from the vision, Ezran called. "Uh, Callum? I hope whatever you got was worth it because you're going to need it.", he said, as three APCs loaded with DUPs rolled up in front of Callum, who simply smirked and activated his newest Karma Bomb, Dragonfire Swarm. Sticking his arms forward, a dragon flew past Callum, then another, then a massive swarm of dragons flew high into the air. "Here comes Heaven, Hell, and Callum!", he said, swiftly bring his arms up then pulling them down, signaling the beasts to rain hell, as the dragons fell out of the sky, breathing fire upon the soldiers and destroying their vehicles. "Oh man, Ezran! You've been holding out on me.", Callum said, very impressed with his new skill set. "Uh, just something to think about... 'Heaven, Hell, Callum, and Ezran'.", the Video Conduit said, slipping his name into Callum's line. "Hey dude, you want the billing? You gotta get out here and get your hands dirty.", Callum said, not wanting Ezran to piggyback off his work. "I don't know. I'm not very good with people. Just animals.", Ezran said, forcing Callum to come up with something. "Get out. You're great with people. Didn't you hear the guy you just saved shouting 'Ezran is the best'?", Callum half-lied. "How'd he know my name?", Ezran asked, skeptical if Callum was telling him the truth or not. "Hell if I know, man. Maybe you can ask the next one in person.", Callum said, hoping to give Ezran some incentive to face his fear. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to help out a few more people.", Ezran said, starting to feel... confident. "Atta boy, just let me know when you're ready to start.", Callum said, hanging up. 

It still felt like Callum was forgetting something... "Oh shit...", Callum said, remembering that he left Soren behind for his own safety. Calling Soren, he managed to get a few words out. "Hey Soren, sorry to keep you waiting...", he said before Soren got angry. "First of all, I'm glad to hear you're still alive. And second of all-!", Soren yelled before Callum gave him the good news. "But wait'll you see what I can do! I got swords and, and homing missiles and demons swooping out of the sky...", Callum said, super pumped about the new Video power. "Yeah, sounds dangerous and stupid. And maybe a little cool.", Soren said, not denying that Video sounded like an amazing power to have. "Yeah, well I can hardly wait to do it for Claudia.", Callum said, feeling that his journey was coming to a close soon. 


	18. Flight of Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum and Ezran work to stop the Akurans from selling D.U.P. suspects back to the D.U.P., while Callum tries to get Ezran to actively participate.

As Callum finished up a new piece of stencil art, Too Life-Like, Ezran called. "So, you think you can help me with something? I've been monitoring their signals and I think the Akrurans are up to something big.", he said. Callum was interested. Ezran wanting to help people sounded right up his alley. "Hey, I'm on board.", Callum said. "Great, meet me at my domain and we'll work out a plan.", Ezran said, hanging up. 

Arriving at Ezran's basement, Callum stomped on the metal door to let Ez know he's here. "Ez, open up, it's me!" Callum said. "Hey, Callum.", Ezran said, confusing the other Conduit until Callum saw Ezran peeking out from behind a building. "What, you move the clubhouse?", Callum said, confused. "Yeah, I'm ready.", Ezran said. Callum was impressed in the boy, finally seeing the daylight. "Let's rock and roll, man.", Callum said. "Well no, you're gonna 'rock and roll', I'm gonna stick to the shadows.", Ezran said nervously. "What?", Callum asked. "You know, stealth?", Ezran said, turning invisible. "Right... 'stealth'.", Callum said, disappointed. He just had to remember to take it one step at a time. "So, 'Stealth', what's the plan?", Callum asked. "You know all those suspected Bio-Terrorists we freed from the D.U.P....?", Ezran said. "I actually remember it being a rescue party of one, but go on.", Callum said, referring back to the vests in Ezran's basement. "Turns out that Akuran gang's been rounding them up and holding them at a construction site near here. They're planning to 'sell' them back to the D.U.P.", Ezran said. "Great, why don't 'we' go get them?", Callum said, air quoting we since Ezran wasn't exactly tagging along. "Don't worry, I'm sending my 'friends' to meet you there.", Ezran said, getting ready to make some dragons. "By 'friends', I hope you mean an army of dragons and not Melvin and Larry from your D&D group.", Callum said, poking fun at the Video Conduit. "I don't have a D&D group.", Ezran deadpanned. "Ez, seriously... you have got to lighten up.", Callum said, sighing.

Arriving at the construction site, Callum called Ezran again. "Okay, buddy, I'm here. Where are your friends?", Callum asked noticing a distinct lack of dragons. "On their way. But you need to check the interior of the site and they're not so good in enclosed spaces.", Ezran said sheepishly. Callum was starting to get actually irritated with Ez. "Great, dragons that are claustrophobic. Anything else I should know about my back-up?", Callum said, annoyed. "They're not so great in water either?", Ezran said, trying to relieve the other Conduit. "Well, that makes two of us.", Callum said, remembering that he once tried to use his powers in water, but Smoke just fizzled out and Neon faded away. With Video, he didn't even want to try since it had electrical properties. Starting from the roof, Callum descended into the parking garage and found a large gang of Akurans. Opening fire upon them with Video Torrent, Callum managed to take down two before the others knew to react. Taking out two others, one Akuran tried to surrender. Callum replied by calling down three digital swords to pin the gangster down. Done with the third floor, Callum went down to the second floor, where the Akurans were now on alert but did not see the boy. "Construction zone. Should've worn a hard hat.", Callum said jokingly as the Akurans opened fire upon him. The gangsters were completely outmatched by Callum, whose new Video Powers wiped the floor with several mobsters. Video Torrent was enough to take them out and used Bloodthirsty Blades when they were too far out of reach. A single Akuran tried to run up the ramp to attack the boy but simply got whacked by Callum's digital sword. Heading back to the third floor, Callum looked for any D.U.P. suspects but found nothing. It took a moment, but Callum then realized the doors to the elevators were boarded up with a red X on it. Blasting the wood apart, Callum peered inside to notice that there was no one inside. "Nothing here, Ez.", Callum said in disappointment. "Keep looking", Ezran said, causing Callum to sigh. "Why not? Long as I'm here.", Callum said, going back to the second floor. Checking the elevators, Callum found the same thing: nothing. "Two down.", Callum said, heading to the bottom floor.

Breaking open the elevator room again, Callum once again found not a soul. "Damn, these Akurans are good at hiding people... Wait, I hear helicopters.", Callum said, hearing the unmistakable sound of rotor blades spinning up. "Get to the roof! DUP helicopters are picking up shipping containers up there.", Ezran said urgently, sending more dragons to intercept. "Conduits must be inside.", Callum reasoned, exiting the parking structure and swooping up the side. He got there in time to see several choppers fly away with shipping containers held by large chains. "Damn, I'm too late.", Callum said. "No, see my dragons? I'll have them try to keep the helicopters close enough to the roof so you can jump on the containers.", Ezran said as if his idea wasn't completely bonkers. "Sure, just jump on the moving shipping containers, four stories off the ground. See, this is the kind of fun stuff you miss when you 'stick to the shadows'.", Callum said, causing Ezran to roll his eyes. "Once you're on a container, just break the winch attaching them to the choppers. My dragons can catch the containers as they fall.", Ezran explained. Callum decided to trust the teenager and jumped on to the nearest container, trying to keep his balance. "It's not crazy to awesome.", Callum said, seeing how far off the ground they were. Conduit or not, the height was dizzying. Shooting the winch off the container, Callum called for Ezran's winged friends. "Hey dragons, heads up.", Callum called as several digital dragons flew over and used some "magic" to float the container safely to the ground. Jumping off the container, Callum swooped back up to the top of a building and flew towards another chopper getting chased by three dragons. Using Video Thrusters to glide towards the container Callum successfully landed on it. "Woo-hoo, I'm container surfing!", Callum joked before shooting the winch. "Ez, here's another one for ya.", Callum said, jumping off and using Phoenix Flight to head for the other containers. Swooping up a building, Callum saw a container fly close and waited for the precise moment to jump aboard. "Dragons! Catch!", Callum yelled, shooting the winch off and quickly jumping off, swooping towards another building. Running and jumping off the roof of a building, Callum used Video Thrusters to glide close enough to latch on to the side of the container and pull himself up. Shooting the winch, Callum jumped and glided to the ground as the dragons caught the container. Seeing one more helicopter, Callum swooped after it, using a satellite to launch into the air. Landing on the container, Callum shot the winch and rode it down. 

"And that's the last of them!", Callum yelled in achievement until Ezran called, sounding panicked. "Callum, that last container's on the ground in Denny Park. D.U.P.'s converging on it now. You can't let them get those Conduits!", Ezran said nervously. Callum looked around and saw several DUPs arrive, at least three APCs. "Not letting you have these people.", Callum said in defiance. Firing back with Video Torrent, Callum destroyed an APC with Bloodthirsty Blades as a dozen dragons flew around and attacked the D.U.P. Callum's legs got ensnared by concrete, indicating a Bishop. Breaking free of the restraints, Callum attempted to fight back but whenever he'd shoot a Pawn or a Super Knight, they'd be shielded by the Bishop. As the dragons dealt with the Bishop, Callum felt a heavy rumbling and then saw that not one, but two Kings had arrived. This scared Callum; he could barely take on one of these things, but two meant that he was screwed and there were only a few dragons left. "Ezran, you got any more dragons you can send my way?", Callum said, starting to panic. "Yeah, but it might take a while.", Ezran said, sounding stressed. "Haven't got a while. Gonna use up the one I have in about two minutes.", Callum yelled over the rumbling of the dual Kings, which Callum was trying to avoid. "No, no, this isn't supposed to happen!", Ezran yelled, panicking. "Don't flake on me now, man!", Callum yelled, needing any support Ezran could lend. "I can't... I can't do this anymore!", Ezran yelled, hanging up. Callum waited for Ezran to say anything else, but heard nothing. "Ezran, stay with me. Ezran!?", Callum yelled, calling again but getting a voicemail. "Ezran? Please tell me you did not just leave me at the altar!", Callum yelled, as he fought back as best he could against the Kings, but noticed that more D.U.P. started to show up. It started to look bleak for Callum, but then the unthinkable happened. 

" **Werid zu'u, fah zu'u lost arrivaan** ", a booming voice shouted. Callum recognized the voice and looked to the sky to see a massive dragon be followed by more than a dozen smaller dragons. Callum was amazed to see Ezran reveal himself at last, even in the form of Azymondias. "Ezran? Please tell me that is you.", Callum said, still in disbelief. " **Now prepare to feel the wrath of Thunder's Fury!** ", 'Zym' said, breathing fire upon the Kings who attempted to fight the Dragon Prince. The heat of the flames proved too much for the automatons to handle and the self-destructed. "Oh, you guys are gonna hate this.", Callum said. With the Kings out of play, Callum and the dragons charged the remaining DUPs. "Okay, American Dragon, softened 'em up for you. Hey Ez, when this is over, think you can teach me how to do that?", Callum asked, hoping to be able to perform a great feat such as that. " **You are not worthy!** ", 'Zym' boomed, disappointing and annoying Callum. "You turn into a real ass when you become Zym, you know that?", Callum said, destroying some more APCs and fighting a Bishop. After clearing out the entire park and securing the container, Callum looked to 'Zym'. "What took you?", Callum joked, earning a smirk from the massive beast.

Ezran stood at the edge of a building overlooking Denny Park as Callum walked up behind him. "Well, look who decided to join the real world.", Callum said, Ezran smiling as he turned around. "Yeah, you convinced me. Figured I'd give people one more chance.", Ezran said shrugging. "Well, on behalf of 'people', thank you.", Callum said, very proud of what Ezran did to save him. "Yeah, well, worst that can happen, they let me down again, I rain Dragonfire on their asses.", Ezran said, stepping off the ledge and jumping off. Callum got scared and ran to the edge, unsure why Ezran would do that when Azymondias reappeared and flew up and away from the building. Callum was getting more and more impressed with Ezran and more proud that he helped a shy kid step out and become a powerful hero. "There you go, kid... happy thoughts.", Callum said, watching as Zym let out a mighty roar. He truly was the Dragon Prince.


	19. Hunting the Hunters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil Karma chapter
> 
> Callum and Ezran work together to destroy the Akurans, who are trying to team up with the D.U.P.

Arriving at Ezran's basement, Callum stomped on the metal door to let Ez know he's here. "Ez, open up, it's me!" Callum said. "Hey, Callum.", Ezran said, confusing the other Conduit until Callum saw Ezran peeking out from behind a building. "What, you move the clubhouse?", Callum said, confused. "Yeah, I'm ready.", Ezran said. Callum was impressed in the boy, finally seeing the daylight. "Let's rock and roll, man.", Callum said. "Well no, you're gonna 'rock and roll', I'm gonna stick to the shadows.", Ezran said nervously. "What?", Callum asked. "You know, stealth?", Ezran said, turning invisible. "Right... 'stealth'.", Callum said, disappointed. He just had to remember to take it one step at a time. "If we're going to take this place back from the Akurans, we need to show them who's really in control here.", Ezran said. "Says the guy hiding in the bushes.", Callum said, pointing out the irony. "There's a group of them hanging around a construction site near here. We start with them.", Ezran said, ignoring Callum's remark. "Why not just send your demons? Take 'em out in a big, loud demonic way.", Callum suggested, wanting to make those bigots quiver in fear. "Unless they're out in the open, my friends can't get to them. You know, wingspan and clearance.", Ezran explained as Callum swooped up a building. "So my job is just to flush the Akurans out into the open where your demons will have a clean shot. Like a bird dog, only with people.", Callum figured. "No, no, no, you should kill as many as you can. My friends love working with new people.", Ezran said darkly. Callum just hung up and launched from a satellite over to the construction site. 

"Okay, I'm here.", Callum said, hovering down to the roof. "Now, chase a few of them up onto the roof where I can help you take care of them.", Ezran said, preparing some demons. Callum jumped off the side of the roof and entered the first floor. Using Predator Advantage, Callum turned invisible and snuck up on an Akuran, impaling him with his claw. Blasting a few with Video Torrent, Callum engaged them with his red claws. Going invisible again, Callum snuck up on another and killed him with his claw, eliminating two others with his claw attacks. Finishing the last one, Callum heard thunderous footsteps getting fainter. "Get ready.", Callum said to Ez, heading to the roof. "Waiting for you on the roof.", Ezran said, sending his demons. Callum went to the second floor and found a few Akurans running for the roof. Chasing them, Callum killed the ones he caught up with, obliterating them with his claws. Going invisible, Callum reached the roof and snuck around the panicked Akurans. "Let me take this one off your hands.", Ezran said, as a demon swooped down and picked up an Akuran. Callum broke his cover and executed another as the rest drew their pistols and fired at the demons and Callum. "You guys do realize this is a fight, right?", Callum said, shooting some Bloodthirsty Blades. Eliminating the rest with his claw attacks, Callum called Ezran. "I think that's all of them.", Callum said. "Oh man, I wish I could've been there to see the looks on my faces when my friends showed up.", Ezran said, slightly annoying Callum. "What's stopping you? Oh that's right... nothing.", Callum said, wishing Ezran would stop hiding and show the world how powerful he really is. "Hey Callum, there's something big going on. I just picked up a signal...", Ezran said, confusing the other Conduit. "What kind of signal? Ezran, you there?", Callum asked after not getting a response. "Yeah, sorry. Sounds like some Akurans are talking to... I don't know, maybe D.U.P. Use that signal app I sent you back earlier to listen in. See what you think.", Ezran said, hoping Callum could formulate a plan.

Callum swooped up to the nearby crane and pulled out his phone, using the signal tracker app to discover a conversation between an Akuran leader and the D.U.P. "Yes, we have sufficient men to hold off these attacks, but for how long, I cannot say. Soon we will require assistance in the fighting to hold our position. We have done as you asked, but it is no longer just the one. These Bio-Terrorists are allying themselves. Just to face the one was difficult enough, but now there are legions. They attack from the ground and the sky with smoke and light and something I do not know what. We had your assurance that in time of need, we could call on you. At this moment, we are calling on you for your assistance.", the Akuran said, both Conduits' eyes widening that the gang was allying itself with the D.U.P. "You should use the signal to find them. We can't stop until the job's done.", Ezran said defiantly, surprising Callum. "Well, listen to you, all 'take no prisoners'.", Callum said, unsure whether or not he liked the tone of Ezran's voice. "Evil must be punished.", Ezran said. "Hey brother, you're preaching to the choir.", Callum said, swooping up a building and checking the signal again. The app said that the source was 300 meters away, and Callum felt that Ezran could be helping him. "Hey Ez, long as we're heading in the same direction, how about one of your friends gives me a lift?", Callum asked, since Phoenix Flight only lasted a few seconds at a time. "Ancient Beings are not a taxi service, Callum.", Ezran said, hanging up. Callum rolled his eyes and just sucked it up and flew towards the signal. 

Swooping to the roof of an apartment complex, Callum spotted the Akurans gathering in a small alleyway. Absorbing a nearby TV screen, Callum jumped off and Comet Dropped onto them, killing three Akurans and obliterating them. Attacking the others with his red claws, Callum killed the rest. "Still hearing them talking. Sounds like they're planning something.", Ezran said. Callum swooped up a building, just in time to see D.U.P. troops engage Ezran's demons from the rooftops. "Whoa Ezran, looks like the DUPs are joining in.", Callum said. "Perfect.", Ezran said darkly, Callum pulling out his phone again to locate the next set of Akurans. "Only moments ago, the Bio-Terrorist army located and lashed out at us yet again. I do not use the term 'army' lightly. Twice now, it is that they have overwhelmed us with both strength and numbers. Does the Department of Unified Protection not have honor? Why are you so slow to honor the agreements you have made with us? We were made to believe you would live up to your promise, and yet you stand by, while we are so viciously attacked. We believed we had allied ourselves an honorable party, but I am beginning to question that assumption.", the Akuran leader said. Swooping up a nearby building, Callum attacked a Knight that was fighting some demons. "Think I'll lend a hand to your guys fighting the DUPs.", Callum said. "No, keep following that signal! Kill the Akurans. I've promised the DUPs to my minions, as a reward for their successes.", Ezran said defiantly. Callum decided to back off and kept following the signal, approaching a rooftop garden. Flying in and attacking an Akuran, Callum glided off and clung to the ledge. Climbing around, he then went invisible and executed an Akuran. Killing another with his claws, Callum fired Bloodthirsty Blades at some encroaching gang members. Callum killed the last ones with Video Torrent and knocked a Pawn off the rooftop. "Think I'm getting close, Ezran. Your 'friends' gonna be there to lend a hand or a talon or whatever?", Callum asked. "We fight together, Callum. You know that. Until the last Akuran and DUP traitor falls.", Ezran said.

Following the last signal, Callum arrived at the top of an apartment complex and saw a meeting between the Akurans and the DUPs. "Found 'em. Denny Park, Akurans and DUPs.", Callum said. "I was hoping they'd do this.", Ezran said darkly. "You're not worried about them joining forces?", Callum asked, disturbed by Ezran's lack of fear. If they work side-by-side, it makes it easier to kill them both at once.", Ezran said. "Okay Ez, just waiting for your friends.", Callum said, keeping on the lookout for any demons. "They'll be there any second. They just had to pick up a few things and now they'll drop them off.", Ezran said as Callum saw a few demons drop some Akurans and DUPs that they've captured into the meeting, sending them to their deaths. "You know, for a guy afraid to show his face, you've got a pretty twisted sense of humor.", Callum said, Comet Dropping into action as several demons began attacking. Callum shot Bloodthirsty Blades at some DUPs and then engaged into combat with a Bishop. Callum ran and attacked all enemies with Video Torrent, easily breaking the concrete shields used by the DUPs. Eventually, Callum ran low on energy and began resorting to melee attacks, killing some Akurans with his claws. Absorbing some energy from nearby TVs, Callum unleashed Hellfire Swarm, sending a massive swarm of demons into the sky and then calling them down, sending all the nearby enemies to their deaths. But just when Callum thought they'd won, a pair of Kings emerged from the ground. Callum could barely take on one of these things, but with two, he was screwed. It also didn't help that only a few demons were left. "Ezran, got any more demons you can send my way?", Callum said, starting to panic. "Yeah, but it might take a while.", Ezran said, sounding stressed. "Haven't got a while. Gonna use up the ones I got in about two minutes.", Callum yelled over the rumbling of the dual Kings, which Callum was trying to avoid. "No, no, this isn't supposed to happen!", Ezran yelled, panicking. "Don't flake on me now, man!", Callum yelled, needing any support Ezran could lend. "I can't... I can't do this anymore!", Ezran yelled, hanging up. Callum waited for Ezran to say anything else, but heard nothing. "Ezran, stay with me. Ezran!?", Callum yelled, calling again but getting a voicemail. "Ezran? Please tell me you did not just leave me at the altar!", Callum yelled, as he fought back as best he could against the Kings, but noticed that more D.U.P. started to show up. It started to look bleak for Callum, but then the unthinkable happened.

" **Werid zu'u, fah zu'u lost arrivaan** ", a booming voice shouted. Callum recognized the voice and looked to the sky to see a massive dragon be followed by more than a dozen smaller dragons. Callum was amazed to see Ezran reveal himself at last, even in the form of Azymondias. "Ezran? Please tell me that is you.", Callum said, still in disbelief. " **Now prepare to feel the wrath of Thunder's Fury!** ", 'Zym' said, calling down red thunder upon the Kings who attempted to fight the Dragon Prince. The Kings attempted to fight back but the electricity fried their circuits, causing the automatons to self-destruct. "You ain't felt nothing 'till you've felt the wrath.", Callum said. With the Kings out of play, Callum and the dragons charged the remaining DUPs. "Okay, Teen Dragon, softened 'em up for you. Hey Ez, when this is over, think you can teach me how to do that?", Callum asked, hoping to be able to perform a great feat such as that. " **You are not worthy!** ", 'Zym' boomed, disappointing and annoying Callum. "You turn into a real ass when you become Zym, you know that?", Callum said, destroying some more APCs and fighting a Bishop. " **This town is ours! And we shall show no mercy.** ", 'Zym' said, Callum chuckling a bit. "Yeah... what he said.", Callum said.

Callum met Ezran on top of a building overlooking Denny Park, smirking to himself. "It's funny how a little indiscriminate slaughter can make the whole world seem brighter, huh?", Callum said as Ezran turned to him. "Hey, I made the world a better place. Figure I deserve a victory lap.", Ezran said. Callum looked and noticed that the demons went away. "So... where are your 'friends'?", Callum asked. Ezran chuckled and stepped back. He gave the skyline a double middle finger and jumped off. Callum rushed to the edge to try and help Ezran, but then Azymondias appeared again, flying off and letting out a mighty roar. "Nice exit.", Callum said, watching the dragon assert his dominance over Seattle.


	20. The Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soren reports a strange explosion and Callum encounters someone he'd thought dead

After collecting some Blast Shards, taking out some more DUPs, and helping some people, Callum exited a clothing store. In place of his normal blue hoodie, he had a pure white one and wore a plaid shirt underneath. His jeans and vest were noticeably lighter in color as well. As he was walking out, Callum got a call from Soren. "Callum, you near a TV?", Soren said, sounding worried. "Ever since Ezran, I try to stay close.", Callum said since TVs could be an energy source for his Video powers. "New reported an explosion at the Channel 5 News Tower, then immediately retracted. Try to find a good vantage point to scope things out.", Soren suggested, suspicious of the retraction. Callum absorbed a neon sign and sped to the top of a building, looking towards the Channel 5 News Tower, where a few helicopters were patrolling. "Soren, you're right. They're scrambling, but no one's firing.", Callum said, confused. "Now they're ordering all Seattle P.D. out of an area near the waterfront. Must be something they don't want ANYBODY to see.", Soren said, wondering what was going on. "Hope they don't mind if I take a look.", Callum said. "Sounds like they've carpeted the group with APCs. Stick to the rooftops.", Soren advised. "You worry too much.", Callum said, speeding off the roof using Photon Jump. "Soren, I ever tell you how great the views are from up here?", Callum said, noticing the sunset on the horizon. "Eyes on the prize, bro. We'll sight-see later.", Soren said. Callum just sighed and sped off towards the marker. 

Arriving at the location, Callum was met with a jarring sight. DUPs were strewn about, black marks everywhere. It looked like a mess Callum himself would've caused, but Cal knew for a fact that this wasn't him. "Soren, there are scorch marks everywhere. Looks like my handiwork.", Callum said, feeling unsettled. "So there's another smoke Conduit. Shouldn't surprise you, there's not just one of each.", Soren said. "I guess I was just hoping for something new.", Callum said, slumping his shoulders. "Show me what you mean by 'handiwork'.", Soren said, prompting Callum to turn on his camera. Snapping a picture of a Pawn lying on the ground with black marks staining his armor., Callum sent the picture to the cop. "So, this is what it looks like when you... I've avoided looking up close.", Soren said sheepishly, not wanting to see the brutality when Callum and his friends went up against the DUPs. "They'd do the same to me.", Callum said, trying to ponder who this new smoke Conduit was. Just then, DUPs showed up and tried to ambush the boy, prompting the Conduit to fire Neon Beams at them, stopping them from searching the area. After the soldiers were stopped, Callum heard a radio going off. "Situation team, respond. Situation team, respond.", it said. "Wait, I hear another one.", Callum said, walking towards the noise and found a helmet lying on the ground. "Situation team, respond. Situation team, respond. We've reacquired 'Lafayette', east of your 40. Situation team, respond.", the helmet said, causing Callum to drop it in shock. "Soren, this Conduit... they say it's Corvus!", Callum said, shocked. "I thought you said Claudia killed him back in Katolis.", Soren said, also surprised. "She did... I thought she did. No. I saw her kill him. He's dead. I'm sure of it!", Callum said defiantly. Even if the concrete itself didn't kill him, there was no way Corvus could breathe in there. Just then, APCs arrived, cutting off the alleys. DUPs piled out and Callum shot more Neon Beams at them. Generating neon through his body, Callum activated Radiant Sweep and subdued all the soldiers, allowing him to keep searching the area for clues. Seeing another alley, Callum walked down and saw a Pawn lying next to a bunch of files, along with a mugshot. "Okay, Soren, I'll gonna admit... I was wrong.", Callum said, snapping a picture of the mugshot of Corvus and uploading it to him. "Keep that. My Christmas gift to you next year.", Callum mumbled. Just then, his phone rang and the ID was Rayla, who he hadn't heard from since he got flown by Ez. "Hey Callum! Ye gotta call a girl whan ye decide tae gae on a rampage i' Downtown!", Rayla said, shocking the boy. "Uhhh... That's not me!", Callum said, confused. "Well, A gotta great view o' somebody smokin' the hell outta DUP choppers.", Rayla said. "You can see them? Where are you?", Callum asked, needing to know where Corvus was. "Top o' a buildin' near Twelfth an' Union.", Rayla said, watching as the Conduit shot at the choppers with smoke.

Callum used Light Speed to scale the building and met Rayla next to a chimney. "Why dae ye care aboot this guy? Ye already got smoke.", Rayla asked, unsure what Callum wanted from the Conduit. "I think this might be the guy who was on that transport with you... the one I got my powers from.", Callum explained, seeing the choppers fight Corvus on a building two blocks away. "Ye mean that big, sweaty guy, Corvus?", Rayla asked, unbelieving. "Yes. If he busted out of Claudia's tower, maybe he can help me figure out how to break in. Why don't you come with me and help?", Callum asked, hoping that with the two of them, Corvus would be pinned. "Na... na. Thon guy is bad news. A think A'll juist sit back an' watch the fireworks.", Rayla said "Callum, juist watch yourself. A dinnae trust thon man.", she said, putting a hand on his shoulder and looking at him with worried eyes. "Sure, but I'm not exactly helpless. Besides, we've got something in common; we got no love for Claudia.", Callum said, patting her shoulder. "Yeah. Good luck.", Rayla said before speeding off. Callum jumped off the roof and used Neon Thrusters to guide himself. "Soren, I see him. He's on a roof downtown, fighting off helicopters.", Callum said. "All right, but listen to me. Don't let the D.U.P. capture him.", Soren said. "Got it", Callum replied. "And don't let them kill him, either. And don't you kill him... but don't let him get away.", Soren said, making Callum's brain hurt. "That's a lot to remember.", Callum said as he sped up the building that Corvus was on. As soon as he got up, Corvus vanished in a cloud of smoke. "Soren, I'm on the roof.", Callum said, firing at the choppers. "Corvus?", Soren asked. "Isn't.", Callum said. "You lost him?", Soren said, confused. "I haven't lost him. I'm just keeping my distance.", Callum said, unsure how to approach the convict. "On purpose?", Soren asked since Callum's never shown restraint like this. "He can practically fly.", Callum said. "So can you, in three languages.", Soren said as Callum destroyed the choppers with Phosphor Beams. "Don't lose Corvus...", Soren said, annoying the Conduit. "Thanks for the reminder.",Callum said sarcastically. "Watch out for the D.U.P.", Soren said. "Excellent advise.", Callum said, again sarcastically. As Callum approached Corvus, the latter used an advanced Smoke Dash to cross a large gap between two buildings. Callum saw as Corvus got into a fight with some DUPs and used that to close the gap between them. "Corvus, are you trying to get killed?", Callum yelled, Corvus shocked at the boy's sudden appearance. "Kid!?", Corvus yelled in surprise. "Soren, I got him!", Callum yelled into his phone. "If the cop's here, then I'm gone. Your turn with the choppers.", Corvus yelled, fleeing the scene. "Dammit Soren, you scared him off!", Callum yelled as he fought against the DUP troops who switched targets. Defeating the Pawns, Callum realized that Corvus had disappeared. "Soren, I lost him.", Callum said disappointed. "I didn't. Lantern District, Hing Hay Market. 911 switchboard's gone crazy. Reports of a Bio-Terrorist", Soren said. With the tip, Callum used Light Speed to zip towards Hing Hay Market.

Dropping into Hing Hay Market, Callum quickly spotted Corvus, who had yet to shed his prison clothing. As the two met each other's eyes, Corvus quickly disappeared into a vent, Callum giving chase. "Corvus, wait. I'm not going to hurt you, I just need your... never mind, I already have that.", Callum said, meaning to say he needed the man's powers but he already had them. Using Light Speed, Callum raced up a building as Corvus Smoke Dashed down the street. Callum quickly absorbed a TV screen and launched off a satellite, using his Phoenix Flight ability to follow Corvus from the air. The convict dashed through a vent and Callum swooped up the side of a building. "I'm warning you, kid. Back the hell off!", Corvus yelled, dashing away. "Make me!", Callum said like a child. Corvus doubled back on Callum by dashing into a vent behind him, Callum swooping up the side to catch up. "Corvus! I don't wanna do this!", Callum yelled getting tired of chasing the convict around. "Then stop!", Corvus yelled, dashing across gaps. Callum followed him as he flew up to an apartment complex, Callum using a satellite to launch after him. "Corvus, I need your help.", Callum yelled, trying to sway the man to his side. "You aren't gonna get!", Corvus yelled back, dashing into a vent. Callum swooped after him. "Would you slow down!? I just wanna talk!", Callum yelled as Corvus kept evading him, launching from another satellite. "I have nothing to say to you!", Corvus yelled, as Callum chased him across a few more buildings. Corvus dashed into another vent and Callum swooped up the side of the building to its roof, but found no convict. Trying to see where Corvus could've gone, Callum was blindsided by a Cinder Blast, knocking him into the wall and he began to lose consciousness. The last thing he saw was Corvus picking up his phone and doing something to it. 

Callum came to and quickly looked for Corvus, but found that he was long gone. Holding his head, Callum heard his phone ring. Picking it up, Callum saw that the caller ID was one he did not recognize. Answering the call, Callum was surprised to hear who was on the other end. "Son, you can't really take a punch.", Corvus said, shocking the other Conduit. "Corvus? How'd you get this number?", Callum asked, remembering that Corvus was messing with his phone before he blacked out. "You're listed. Sorry about the sucker punch before, but I knew there's no talking with you until you calmed down. Are you calm?", Corvus said. "I swear, when I find you-", Callum said, starting to get angry before Corvus cut him off. "I'll call you back in half an hour.", Corvus said, about to hang up. "No, no, wait... I'm calm.", Callum said, not wanting Corvus to hang up. "You sure? Because so far, you've been chasing and shouting and whaling away at me.", Corvus said, still bitter about what happened back in Katolis. "I'm gonna take Claudia down, but I need your help to do it.", Callum said, hoping that they could work out a plan. "I could sign on for something like that.", Corvus said, liking the idea of getting some payback. "Great, then we should-", Callum said, before being cut off by Corvus. "Hold on, the D.U.P. guys around here are scrambling. Something's up. I'll check it out and call you back.", Corvus said, hanging up.


	21. Quid Pro Quo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum, Corvus, and Soren attempt to bring down Claudia but end up losing more than they hoped to gain.

After Corvus hung up, Callum called Soren, knowing the cop would be going crazy not knowing where he was. "Soren, it's me.", Callum said, bracing himself. "Callum, thank god! You disappeared on me.", Soren said. "Sorry, look, I caught up with Corvus. He wants to work with us to get to Claudia...", Callum said, proposing the idea. "What? No, I'm not sure that's a good idea, man.", Soren said, not sure about the convict. "Come on, you know what, dude, you worry too much.", Callum said, starting to get annoyed. "Or maybe you don't worry enough. Listen, be careful. And watch your back.", Soren said, hoping that the boy would take his advice. "You worry too much.", Callum repeated, smirking. "Not enough.", Soren said, hanging up.

Arriving at a building, Callum got a call from Corvus. "Corvus, what's up?", Callum asked. "Listen, kid, I've been thinking... when you were chasing me across those buildings with all the helicopters before...", Corvus said, making Callum feel bad. "Right, yeah, I'm... I'm sorry about all that...", Callum apologized. "No, I was just going to say... you've clearly gotten the hang of those smoke tricks I gave you...", Corvus said, impressed with the boy's abilities. Callum felt flattered but now they had to get down to business. "Well, I, uh, kinda need you to teach me one more. You managed to escape Claudia's tower once... how'd you get past those electrified barricades?", Callum asked, as he once tried to swoop and run up the tower himself but got a shocking surprise. "There's a transformer on a roof across the way you have to shut down, but it won't do you any good. She's got the whole thing armored up and half the D.U.P. force is standing guard.", Corvus said. "Right, but maybe if we both work together...", Callum said, implying that they could work together to get inside, an idea that Corvus didn't exactly agree with. "Hey, my specialty is breaking out of places like that, not in. Listen, we both have our reasons for getting to Claudia... she's got something each of us wants... but we have to do it on OUR terms, not hers. We have to draw her out of her castle and out here where we stand a chance.", Corvus said, Callum beginning to understand. "Any ideas?", Callum asked, not sure where to start. "Well, you know the two kids that were on the armored bus with me?", Corvus asked. "Rayla and Ezran...?", Callum asked, not sure what they had to do with this. "I guess. Anyway, D.U.P.'s got 'em...", Corvus said, shocking the other Conduit. "What!?", Callum exclaimed, unbelieving that they managed to capture his friends. "Just happened. That was all the commotion before. Guess she needed to reel them in to make up for me getting loose. She's sending them out to that big concrete platform the D.U.P. built between the two islands.", Corvus said. "Well then, we gotta help them!", Callum said, not wanting Rayla or Ezran to be sent back to Curdun Cay. "Now there's a pier right across from that platform. Meet me there just after sunset.", Corvus said, hanging up. Callum knew he was going to need all the help he could get and called Soren, informing him of his friend's capture. "Soren... Ezran and Rayla, they-", Callum said in a panic. "I heard, I heard.", Soren said, since he was listening in to the previous conversation. "Corvus and I, we've worked out a plan to storm the island and take out whatever DUPs are guarding them, and-", Callum said, stating his plan before Soren cut him off. "Callum, I've been thinking... there have been a lot of innocent people killed lately... 'normal' people...", Soren said, referring to all the police reports he'd had gotten. "'Normal'? Jesus, Soren, we're not going back to that, are we?", Callum asked, not wanting to debate this. "Look, I'm not sure I can help you add to that count, alright? Just to set a couple of Bio-Terrorists free.", Soren said. "Soren...", Callum said, not sure if the policeman was abandoning him when he'd said at the Crocodile that he wouldn't. "I'm a cop... I'm supposed to PREVENT this kind of thing.", Soren said, conflicted between his duty and his family. "Just give me a call when it's over and we'll head back to Katolis. And Callum... watch out for Corvus. I don't trust him.", Soren said, leaving Callum puzzled before hanging up.

As the sun went down, the sky turned grey and rain fell upon Seattle once again. Soren was at the pier, looking at the concrete platform through binoculars, scouting out the area. "Soren? What're you doing here?", Callum asked as he arrived at the pier, not thinking he would show up. "Look, those are people over there. They need our help. Not 'Bio-Terrorists", not 'Conduits'... people.", Soren said, chewing on some gum. Callum smiled softly at Soren's words, now that they saw them not just as people with superpowers, but as people with hearts and feelings. "Well, thank you. Uhm... and thank you for, for being here, so-", Callum said, before being interrupted by Corvus, who now wore a black leather jacket, a pale green scarf, a leather sling backpack around his torso, similar to how Callum wore his sketchbook, dark jeans and black boots. "What's the cop doing here?", Corvus asked, not fond of police officers. Soren glared at Corvus and looked at Callum. "He's my brother, okay? He's here for me, so... what're you thinking?", Callum asked Soren, since he was the first one here. "I've been doing some recon. Our best bet's the dock on the far side. It's less exposed. I figure you two can do your smoke... 'gift'...", Soren said, earning a "thank you" from Callum. "... and draw their attention out front. I'll commandeer a bout and go in during the distraction.", Soren said. "Why are you going in first?", Corvus asked, Callum backing away a bit. "Because I'm a cop, which means I can 'commandeer' a boat and it's legal. You steal a boat... I'm gonna haul you ass in.", Soren said, staring down the convict. Callum was stuck in the middle as Corvus got in Soren's face and stared him down. "Oh, he'll do it... too.", Callum said, knowing too well that when Soren said that he'll arrest someone, he will arrest them. "Uhm... so we'll see you inside, right?", Callum said, having both men back off and stay focused. "Yeah, see you inside... Stay safe, will ya?", Soren said, walking off to find a boat. "Now listen, we're going to get out there and start making noise. Claudia will come running. C'mon, I know a way into the island we won't be seen from.", Corvus said. Callum followed him but he had a nagging question that had been bothering him since he found out Corvus was alive. "What happened? I saw Claudia kill you back in-", Callum said, before Corvus cut him off. "You saw her shut me up. That's what you saw. Big difference.", Corvus said, dashing across a gap of water. "You shouldn't have brought the cop, boy. That was a mistake.", Corvus said, not liking Soren. "Hah, funny... he said the same thing about you.", Callum said, rolling his eyes. The two Conduits eventually arrived at a large pipe that descended into the water. "Here it is. We fly through here, we should come out right in the middle of the thing.", Corvus said, walking around the pipe. "You sure about this?", Callum asked, since all he could see of the pipe was that it went into the water. "Hey, when I was in that tower, I saw things. One more thing, they have one of those drone things out there, the ones you get powers from.", Corvus said, shocking Callum. "How do you know about that?", Callum asked, but Corvus seemed to ignore him. "It'll be good for you to get a new power before we stomp on Claudia. Let's go.", Corvus said, blasting the pipe away, revealing a large vent. Absorbing smoke out of a nearby exhaust, Callum and Corvus smoke dashed through the vent. 

 The two smoke Conduits arrived at the concrete platform and took cover behind a wall. "Ok, here's the plan. We start cracking these support pillars, they feel the structure rumble, and the guards will come down to check it out. We take them out and Claudia will come running. But we need to be fast.", Corvus said, leading Callum to a support pillar. "This is some pretty thick concrete, man.", Callum said, his powers barely leaving a dent. "Not for long. Now, together.", Corvus said, charging a ball of ash in his hands. Callum did the same and the two of them used a combined Cinder Blast to break the pillar. "See? What'd I tell you?", Corvus said, smirking. "Sorry I didn't trust you.", Callum said, moving forward and taking out some Pawns that had arrived. Corvus fired at some other Pawns and used a Cinder Blast to take them out. Counting down, Callum and Corvus used another Cinder Blast to destroy the pillar. "Can't believe we're cracking these things.", Callum said, knowing how tough the concrete was. "Save some for the DUPs, kid.", Corvus said as more troops arrived. Callum took out three Knights as Corvus ran ahead to fight. Corvus fired smoke at the troops, drawing their fire while Callum sent some Cinder Missiles at them. A Knight tried to get around them, but Callum simply whipped the soldier with his chain. The two Conduits took cover as a Rook arrived and started bearing down on them with his minigun. Corvus distracted the enforcer while Callum drained an exhaust vent and smoke dashed on the Rook's left flank. Corvus joined him and Callum fired Cinder Missiles at the Rook, eventually forcing the brute to form a barrier around himself. Callum dragged him out and knocked out with a fistful of smoke. Knocking out the last two remaining Pawns, Callum and Corvus blew up another pillar. "Together, there's no stopping us.", Callum said confidently. "It's gonna take all of us to stop Claudia.", Corvus said as more DUPs arrived. The two smoke Conduits made quick work of the Knights. Callum and Corvus ran over to the last pillar and destroyed it. "Alright. You ready for a new power?", Corvus asked, reminding Callum about his previous question. "Look, how did you...", Callum started to say but Corvus interrupted him. "C'mon. She should be here any minute.", Corvus said, blasting some concrete off of a vent. Launching off the vent, Callum followed Corvus to a Core Relay. Callum ran up to it, excited to see if he got anything new, but then remembered. "Juist be careful. I dinnae trust thon man.", Rayla's voice played in his mind. And Soren did say that he didn't trust Corvus as well. And now there was a Core Relay here, just sitting in the open and unguarded. This was all way too convenient. Something wasn't right. Callum stared at the machine as Corvus waited in anticipation. "What, all of a sudden you don't trust me?", Corvus said as Callum inspected the machine. "I dunno, man, something's not right. Maybe I should call Soren.", Callum said.

Callum was interrupted by concrete floating around him, which then bound his hands together. "Corvus...?", Callum yelled, realizing too late what it all meant. Just then, Claudia arrived, riding a small platform of concrete. "Corvus, you didn't disappoint me.", Claudia said like an approving mother as Callum struggled in vain to get the concrete handcuffs off. "I did as you asked. You do what you promised.", Corvus said, glaring at the woman. Claudia tossed him something and Corvus ran off, Callum extremely angry. "You son of a bitch, I trusted you!", Callum said, angry at the Conduit's betrayal. Claudia shook her head at the boy's persistent naivete. "Never trust a convict.", Claudia said, smirking now that she had Callum right where she wanted. "I see we found something in your size. But... just to be sure.", she said, further trapping Callum by encasing his legs in concrete. Callum looked to see his legs immobile and looked up to glare at Claudia. "Oh lady... when my brother finds out what you did... ho-ho-ho-ho, he is gonna...", Callum said, Claudia smiling to herself. "He is gonna what?", Claudia said, not believing a normal person could hope to stop her from taking down the boy. Just then, Soren came into view in the distance, holding a rocket launcher and taking aim. "...Apparently, shoot you with a rocket launcher. Where he got the rocket launcher, I'd like to know too.", Callum said. Claudia gave him a confused look and just started to turn when Soren shouted. "You're ratting me out, you son of a bitch!", Soren shouted, firing a rocket at the two. Claudia turned in shock and tried to block the attack but failed and was knocked off the side. Callum was blown back too, his legs now free. Callum slowly got up, having trouble due to his hands still being trapped. "You could've hit me!", Callum yelled at Soren. "Yeah, that's payback for blasting me with the dragons. Now, come on, get up. Come over here, I'll get those cuffs off ya.", Soren yelled, as Callum finally managed to get on his feet. Callum slowly jogged over to a wall of concrete as the cuffs were weighing him down. Some Pawns came down a ramp and almost had Callum pinned until Soren shot a rocket at them. Callum moved up and took cover from an auto-turret. "Soren, she's still alive. She's going to come back and I can't use any powers with this concrete crap on!", Callum yelled over the machine gun fire. "What the hell happened?", Soren asked, not knowing how Callum got himself trapped or where Corvus was. "It's a trap. Corvus led us out here so Claudia could kill us.", Callum said, running past an auto-turret and tanking the bullets, stopping behind a wall to let his fast-healing work. "I knew it! I told you!", Soren yelled, his feeling about Corvus proved correct. "God, I just don't understand why he would do that to us!", Callum yelled. "Because he's a bad guy, and bad guys do bad things. You may have superpowers, but it wouldn't hurt to listen  to your brother every once in a while!", Soren yelled. Callum moved from barricade to barricade, healing from the auto-turrets. Callum turned a corner and came to an open area where Soren stood on a small hill. "Okay, get up here!", Soren yelled. "I'm trying.", Callum said before his legs became ensnared once again. "What the hell!?", Callum yelled, turning his head to see a Bishop with some Knights moving to arrest him, completely oblivious to Soren loading another rocket and firing it at them, freeing Callum. 

Soren stood atop a box and got down when Callum ran up the ramp. "Sorry, I'm out of rockets. We're going to have to do this the old-fashioned way.", Soren said, confusing Callum. "What do you mean?", Callum asked, panicking. "Uhhh, put your hands here.", Soren said, gesturing to the box he was standing on. Callum did as asked and Soren grabbed the rocket launcher. "Don't flinch...", Soren said, slamming the launcher onto Callum's handcuffs, causing the concrete to crumble off. "I knew we couldn't trust him.", Soren said. "Okay, you were right. If I'd listened to you, we wouldn't even be here.", Callum said, admitting his mistake. "Uh huh... well, as long as we are here, I guess we should save those two... people.", Soren said, referring to Rayla and Ezran, who were suspended in the air by concrete cuffs and surrounded by pillars. Callum used Smoke Shot, while Soren used his pistol to shoot the concrete off. Callum managed to break the handcuffs off of Ezran, who was down clutching to Rayla's legs, when the pillars closed up. "Callum!", the two Conduits cried before the prison sealed and rose into the sky. Claudia rose the pillars up and saw the two interlopers trying to stop them. She was spread thin enough already, but she had to stop them. Callum stopped running when Soren's legs became encased in concrete. "Stop! Now!", Claudia yelled, causing Callum to turn around and shout back at her. "Leave my brother alone, you bitch!", Callum yelled, unaware of the pillars falling. He heard the rumbling and turned in time to see them fall. "Oh dear god!", Soren said, afraid for his life. "Soren!", Callum yelled as the pillars slammed into the ledge, diving for Soren's hand and clinging to the edge for dear life. 

Soren tried and failed to reach his other hand to Callum's arm. "Come on!", Soren grunted, still trying to reach and failed. Then, he noticed the concrete expanding. It was crawling up his body slowly. his hand soon became trapped and he saw no way out... for him, that is. "Son of a bitch.", Soren whispered before looking up at a struggling Callum, who was using every ounce of his enhanced strength to keep them both from falling. "Callum... Callum. Look at me... You gotta let me go.", Soren said, Callum's eyes widening. "No! I can do this! I can do this! I can do this!", Callum yelled, panicking. "Listen, we can't let this stuff get to you, too. I am so proud of you.", Soren said softly, seeing how far his little brother had come. Callum was becoming a hero in the eyes of others. He already was in his own. "No!", Callum whimpered, tears threatening to fall, his lips quivering. "Always have been.", Soren said, the concrete now up to his shoulders. "No... Soren, don't!", Callum pleaded. Soren had always been with him throughout this journey. It couldn't end like this for him. Not him. 

"I love you, bro.", Soren said, closing his eyes and letting go, falling into the waters below. 

"NNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!", Callum's voice rang out, the unholy scream cutting right through Seattle.

_"It's okay. You're okay. Just breathe... breathe. You're alright, you're alright."_

_"You are MY brother!"_

_"You with me? You with me?"_

_"I am never going to abandon you, okay? Not ever."_

_"I love you, bro."_

 

Tears streamed down Callum's face as he remembered everything. When his mother had died, Soren was the one to console him. It was always Soren who arrested him and got him out of the slammer sooner than most. When he was losing it because of his powers, Soren brought him back from the brink. He had always supported Callum's decisions, even when they went against what Soren normally stood for. And now...

He was gone. 

"Come back... Please, just... Get out of the water... I wanna see your dumb haircut one last time...", Callum thought to himself. But no matter how much Callum wished it, Soren never came back up.

His brother was dead. 

And it was all. Her.  **FAULT.**

Choking back his tears, Callum gripped the ledge with his free hand and pulled himself up, a sobbing mess. And the first thing he saw... was HER. Soren's dead now, because of HER. Standing all the way up, Callum stared down the Concrete Queen of the D.U.P. His tears stained his face, but through wet eyes, raised a hatred more powerful than the Tunguska Event. Claudia saw it in his eyes and raised a platform to fight on, surrounding herself with concrete to shield herself. Callum absorbed a floodlight and let out a bloodthirsty roar of sorrow, pain, hatred, rage, and sadness.

Charging forward in a blaze of reddish-orange neon, and fired Phosphor Beams at Claudia's shields, destroying them. His heart pounded in his ears as Callum fired Neon Beams as Claudia until she fell off her concrete mount. She barely had time to look when Callum used Light Speed and kicked her in the gut so hard, she flew across the field of concrete. "MONSTER!", Callum yelled at the top of his lungs. Absorbing another floodlight, Callum didn't notice, nor did he care, that his attacks were different. All that mattered was that Claudia PAY WITH HER BLOOD. Callum took cover from Claudia's boulders and used Light Speed to dash around the arena, firing Phosphor Beams whenever he could. Claudia was completely taken aback by Callum's ferocity and was struggling to gain a foothold in the fight. She was knocked off her mount again and this time, Callum grabbed her arm and tossed her into the air and slammed a neon-powered punch into her face. "YOU TORTURED MY PEOPLE!", Callum screamed, charging red neon throughout his body and quickly exploding, reforming and gunning down everything in sight. A flash of red and Claudia was knocked onto her back once more. The attack caused the island to rumble and some walls fell down, destroying the floodlights in the process. However, some broke some machines as well revealing some screens inside. Callum quickly maneuvered over to one and absorbed it, his power changing to Video. Firing some Bloodthirsty Blades at Claudia's sheild, Callum found that he quickly broke it. However, Claudia retaliated by diving underground and attacking Callum with a massive whip of concrete, sending the boy flying. Callum recovered by using Phoenix Flight and used Predator Advantage to turn invisible. Claudia looked around quickly for any signs of the Conduit, but found one when he attacked her from behind by using Phoenix Flight to slam her into a wall. "DIE!", Callum yelled as she blasted him back with concrete. Landing back on his feet, Callum fired more Bloodthirsty Blades and followed it up with Video Torrent, both of which took on a red pixel hue and looked more demonic than usual. Claudia was starting to get overwhelmed and she fell off again. Callum's foot slammed into her head and she was knocked back. Callum thrust his arms forward as the sky around them darkened. A massive swarm of demons arrived and flew high before Callum called them all down upon Claudia who threw up a dense concrete barrier to defend herself. At this point, the island was falling apart. Concrete crumbled and fell, into the arena or into the river, but the machines used for the Video power experienced an overload, causing them to blow up. Callum absorbed the smoke emanating from them, his normal orange cinders replaced by blood red ones. Claudia regenerated her shields and tossed boulder after boulder at the boy, who jumped dodged, and ran for his life while firing back with his own Cinder Missiles. Once Claudia's sheilds were blown up, Callum threw a Sulfur Bomb to obscure his position. Claudia couldn't see a thing until Callum got up close and fired a Cinder Blast at her, knocking her off as he grabbed her leg and slammed her into the ground. "WHY?!", Callum screamed. Not giving her any chance to recuperate this time, Callum backed her against a wall and fired Smoke Shot at her repeatedly. "YOU KILLED HIM!", he yelled, absorbing all the smoke from the area and pluming it around his hands. He disintegrated and launched high into the sky. With a look of pain upon his face, Callum used his fist to quickly turn himself and shot down like a rocket, red flames lighting up the sky as he exploded upon the island, reducing the whole place to rubble.

 

" _This is Kurt Wyatt reporting from the scene of an intense battle between the D.U.P and a small group of Bio-Terrorists. You can see the last of the massive structure built by the D.U.P. as it sinks into the icy waters of the Puget Sound. Eyewitnesses tell us the only survivor was D.U.P. head, Claudia Brooks, last spotted heading in the direction of  the concrete tower that has served as her headquarters since the D.U.P.'s arrival nearly two weeks ago. But so far, our efforts to reach Ms. Brooks have produced no response. And now we're getting scattered reports of demonstrations by local citizens in support of the D.U.P., demanding that the Bio-Terrorist uprising in Seattle be ended by any means necessary. For USTV, this is Kurt Wyatt, reporting live from Seattle."_


	22. Smoke and Mirrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the disaster at the Concrete Island, Callum emerges and now seeks revenge on the convict who betrayed him

It wasn't until nightfall that Callum finally resurfaced. Swimming for the nearest storm drain, Callum climbed up and smoke dashed through it, rolling out onto a bridge. His smoke was now back to its normal colorization but Callum's eyes leaked tears again as he looked back out over the water where the concrete island once was. "Soren, I'm sorry. You knew. You told me not to trust Corvus, but I didn't listen.", Callum said, slowly getting up and realizing that his chain had uncoiled from his wrist. He then heard the familiar sirens of an APC. An APC meant the D.U.P. The D.U.P. meant Corvus. Corvus... meant revenge. "But I swear, that son of a bitch is gonna pay.", Callum said, swinging his chain around to wrap it around his wrist again. "We've got eyes on Rowe. Pioneer Ferry Terminal. He survived!", a soldier said. Callum paid them no mind. "Where's Corvus Lafayette? I know he made a deal with Claudia. Where is he?!", he yelled, firing Smoke Shot at the soldiers. Turning into a parking lot with a few more soldiers, Callum continued attacking them, demanding to know where Corvus went. "Tell me where Lafayette is!", he yelled, blasting smoke at everything. Snipers arrived and attempted to shoot the Conduit, who responded by draining a neon sign and dashing up to the roof, beating both snipers into unconsciousness. Callum took one look around and calmed down, realizing that all the DUPs were now knocked out, and facepalmed. "Damn! Should've left one breathing to answer the question. Least I know he's alive. Just gotta find him.", Callum said, racking his brains to think of how he could find Corvus without losing him again. "Wait, he called before... His number's got to be in the incoming call log!", Callum said, pulling out his phone. Searching through the call log, Callum found the number that called him earlier. Inserting it into the signal tracking app... the one that Ezran gave to him. That was when Callum realized that both Rayla and Ezran fell into the water as well. He hasn't heard from them either... That just meant two more people Corvus was going to answer for. 

Dashing to the top of a building, Callum pulled out his phone and used the signal tracker to scan for Corvus' phone. Getting a signal, Callum found the man's signal, which was currently in use to call someone. "What's going on? I'm here, but you aren't.", Corvus said, sounding anxious. We're en route. Just had to set up your transport at the marina.", a D.U.P. soldier said. Before Callum used Light Speed to run towards the source of the signal. "Why the hell are the D.U.P. here for Corvus?", Callum wondered before he started hearing gunshots and explosion happening in the distance. "What the hell's going on over there? They're pounding the hell outta something. Sounds like a freaking war.", Callum said, running towards the sounds. Stopping in front of a parking garage, Callum found the source... and it wasn't pretty. "Jesus. Corvus did this?", Callum said, finding bodies, ashes, and busted cars strewn about the place. "Corvus?... You there?... I'm not afraid of you, Corvus.", Callum yelled into the smokey night air. His thoughts were interrupted by an APC and a few Super Rooks. "Bet I'm not the Conduit you were expecting.", Callum mumbled before getting slugged in the jaw by a Super Rook. Putting some distance between them, Callum fired some Phosphor Beams at the brutes and continued to jog backward down the road while firing Neon Beams behind him. Wrapping up the soldiers in neon binds, Callum realized Corvus was nowhere to be found. "Damn it... lost Corvus. Gonna have to locate the signal again.", Callum said to himself as he sped to the top of the parking garage and pulled out his phone. "And what makes you think a Bio-Terrorist scum like you will leave this city alive?", a soldier said. "We had a deal.", Corvus' voice said, causing Callum to speed in the direction of the signal.

Nearing the signal source, Callum slowed and looked around for Corvus. "Well, I know he's here somewhere, and he does seem to like rooftops.", Callum said to himself, speeding up the side of an apartment complex. Once he reached the top, Callum encountered a small DUP squad and the sounds of chopper blades spinning up. Turning around, Callum came face-to-face with a chopper bearing down on him with rockets. Running low on Neon energy, Callum drained a screen from a nearby satellite and shot some Bloodthirsty Blades, destroying the vehicle. Callum was still annoyed, however, as he still hasn't found Corvus. "Can't believe this. Gotta be getting close. Guess I'll give this tracker one more shot.", Callum said, pulling out his phone and searching for Corvus' signal. He picked it up pretty quickly, as Corvus' voice soon spoke through the device. "Whaddya know, turns out I don't need your damn protection.", Corvus spat. "You haven't made it out of the city yet.", a DUP officer said cockily. "Yeah, well, I've left a trail of your guys' carcasses from one end of the city to the other. Any D.U.P that shows up at the marina, that line is gonna continue right out to the water.", Corvus said. Callum quickly realized that Corvus was near the water, and so he flew off the roof towards the pier.

Callum saw Corvus, worn out after fighting a small army of DUPs. As soon as Corvus saw him, he tried to run but fell due to his exhaustion. Callum could feel his anger boil back up again and now it was directed at the man who caused everyone he cared about to die. "You son of a bitch. She killed Soren!", Callum said, glaring at the man, who acted as if he was looking at the devil himself. "I... I didn't know! I swear to God!", Corvus said, frantically backing up to the railing. "You didn't know? You set us up!", Callum yelled, grabbing Corvus by his collar and pinning him against the rail. "She said she wouldn't hurt you. She promised she was just gonna talk.", Corvus said, fearing for his life since he believed that Callum would certainly kill him at this point. "What? And you believed her?!", Callum yelled into his face, pinning Corvus harder into the rail. "She has a sadistic streak a mile wide. But I've never heard of her actually killing a Conduit.", Corvus explained, hoping beyond hope that Callum would see reason. "My friends and my brother would still be alive if it wasn't for you!", Callum growled, staring daggers into Corvus' eyes. "She had my daughter.", Corvus said softly, throwing Callum off enough to allow Corvus to blast Callum back. That attack took all his strength, though, and he fell forward onto the ground. The Conduits' skirmish was interrupted by a girl's voice coming from the water. Both men looked to see a small girl, probably no older than Ezran, sitting on a small boat with her knees to her chest. She had light brown hair that curled up at her shoulders, a pair of round glasses, fair skin, and light brown eyes, which held sadness and fear as she heard her father's voice. "Dad? Daddy? Where are you?", she cried. Corvus crawled towards the water, but Callum got up, uncoiled his chain, and brought it around Corvus' neck and pulled, chocking the man.

Corvus struggled against the chain, and Callum was prepared to make sure the Conduit never breathed again. But as he pulled, all he could hear was the girl's voice calling out to her father. It reminded him too much of him calling for his mother. And how he screamed when Soren fell. "Daddy?", the girl yelled. Callum grip faltered and he realized he couldn't do it. He couldn't kill a man who had every right to try and save his family. Callum let the chain go and slumped against the rail as Corvus greedily sucked in the air that he needed. Callum looked over the rail and saw the boat and nodded to Corvus. Corvus was confused and extended a hand towards the boy. "Why don't you come with us? Just disappear.", Corvus offered. Callum still harbored resentment towards the man but knew that everyone deserved a second chance. "Stay safe,  Corvus.", Callum said, walking away. Corvus watched as Callum disappeared into the night. He then looked out over the water and saw his daughter. "I'm coming, Pidge! Let's go home.", Corvus yelled over the water.


	23. Kill Corvus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil Karma chapter
> 
> Callum decides to give back to Corvus what he gave Soren. Death.

Callum saw Corvus, worn out after fighting a small army of DUPs. As soon as Corvus saw him, he tried to run but fell due to his exhaustion. Callum could feel his anger boil back up again and now it was directed at the man who caused everyone he cared about to die. "You son of a bitch. She killed Soren!", Callum said, glaring at the man, who acted as if he was looking at the devil himself, which he very well could be due to Callum attire. Callum now wore a red hoodie, matching his beanie, his jeans were now black, his vest a dark grey, and his eyes were faint red with bags underneath them. "I... I didn't know! I swear to God!", Corvus said, frantically backing up to the railing. "You didn't know? You set us up!", Callum yelled, grabbing Corvus by his collar and pinning him against the rail. "She said she wouldn't hurt you. She promised she was just gonna talk.", Corvus said, fearing for his life since he believed that Callum would certainly kill him at this point. "What? And you believed her?!", Callum yelled into his face, pinning Corvus harder into the rail. "She has a sadistic streak a mile wide. But I've never heard of her actually killing a Conduit.", Corvus explained, hoping beyond hope that Callum would see reason. "My friends and my brother would still be alive if it wasn't for you!", Callum growled, staring daggers into Corvus' eyes. "She had my daughter.", Corvus said softly, throwing Callum off enough to allow Corvus to blast Callum back. That attack took all his strength, though, and he fell forward onto the ground. The Conduits' skirmish was interrupted by a girl's voice coming from the water. Both men looked to see a small girl, probably no older than Ezran, sitting on a small boat with her knees to her chest. She had light brown hair that curled up at her shoulders, a pair of round glasses, fair skin, and light brown eyes, which held sadness and fear as she heard her father's voice. "Dad? Daddy? Where are you?", she cried. Corvus crawled towards the water, but Callum got up, uncoiled his chain, and brought it around Corvus' neck and pulled, chocking the man.

Callum cared not for the girl's cries and brought Corvus close so he could say something. "Eye for an eye, asshole.", Callum said, pulling on the chain even harder and pressing his foot into Corvus' back, pressing Corvus neck into the chain. Corvus struggled in vain and a single tear escaped as he heard his daughter cry for him. Callum did not care. Soon, Corvus lost all sensation as his windpipe collapsed and he fell to the floor as Callum finally released the chain. Corvus was now dead, and Soren's death was nearly avenged. There was one last target, one more person had to die. And she was going to die  **T̸͇̓Ọ̶̌N̶̩̎I̴͉͝G̷̞̃H̷̛̝T̵̯̿.**


	24. Justice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum fights his way to the D.U.P. tower in Downtown, determined to put an end to this.

Callum climbed to the top of a building and saw the Channel 5 News Tower out in the distance. It was time. He was going to get her concrete powers. He was going to expose her for all she's done. Nothing was going to stop him. "It's time to get what I came for, Claudia.", Callum said to himself. Draining another neon sign, Callum sped down to street level as Claudia's voice came over an intercom. "It's time. Citizens of Seattle, it's time to take back our city from those who seek to destroy it. Bio-Terrorists have no place on our streets. They must be locked away. Far from all from all decent, normal people. For the good of society.", Claudia said, filling Callum with disgust. "Are you kidding me?! I'M the one who's been protecting 'society' from her and her army of freaks!", Callum yelled as he rescued some D.U.P. suspects from a holding pen at a scanning station. People ran out of the cell and began attacking the D.U.P. officers to Callum's surprise. Callum continued his assault on the D.U.P., attacking scanning stations, checkpoints, Mobile Command Centres. It seemed Claudia noticed that Callum was picking apart her last-ditch operation, as she came on the intercom again. "People of Seattle, it has come to my attention that the Bio-Terrorist, Callum Rowe, has begun another rampage. His past terror sprees have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of loyal D.U.P. guardians and our fellow Seattleites.", Claudia said, sounding almost sad. It was a lie and Callum knew it. "It's not a 'terror spree' if I'm saving the innocent and sparing your horde of killers!", Callum yelled to the open air, hoping that Claudia could hear him somehow. A crowd that gathered around the edge of a bridge that was being blocked off by some DUPs heard him, however. "'OUR city'? Who the hell does she think she is?", an elf said as a riot began. "It wasn't a Bio-Terrorist that killed my wife on the bridge!", a human yelled. "It's the D.U.P. we should fight!", another yelled. "No Bio-Terrorist ever hurt me!", an elven woman yelled. Some grabbed the weapons off some subdued DUPs and began passing them out to the protesters. The rioters began to assault a Mobile Command Centre as Callum lead the charge firing Neon Beams at some DUPs shins, immobilizing him. "Whatever happened to 'right to a trial'?", a protester yelled as a group started to pile on to a Rook stripping him of his minigun and armor. Callum moved on to the Command Centre and pummeled it's core, destroying it. More backup arrived but it was soon stopped as Callum activated his Radiant Sweep ability, subduing every enemy. Making it to the bridge where he fought the King, Callum saw another riot happening. "Help her? Callum's one of us.", a human yelled. "She's lying. Callum and his girlfriend saved my sister from drug dealers!", an elf cried, holding one of the women from the night Callum and Rayla saved her. Callum began to fight as others supported him, beating the tar out of the DUPs they managed to knock down. "Hey Callum, we believe you, not Claudia!", a human yelled. "I got your back, man!", an elf cried, loading a stolen weapon. "Take it to the DUPs, Callum!", a woman said, pumping her fist into the air. 

Callum crossed the bridge as the protesters held off any DUPs that were trying to stop him. Draining smoke from a car and using Car Boost to jump across a gap, Callum crossed the bridge and came upon another riot from behind. "That's not true, he freed my neighbor from one of the D.U.P's cages.", one said. "No, I saw him. Callum only fought the DUPs in self-defense.", another said. "Callum, we don't believe her. It's the DUPs that are killing people.", someone yelled. "Don't worry, Callum, we won't let the DUPs lay a finger on you.", a woman said, disarming a soldier. "We know now that Claudia is lying, Callum. Seattle is behind you!", another lady cheered. The protesters gathered all their courage and fought back, giving Callum an opportunity to run to the tower. Draining a neon sign, Callum used Light Speed to run through the streets. Claudia must've also been witnessing the chaos in streets, as another message was being broadcasted. "Good people of Seattle, I implore you... do not allow Callum Rowe to continue his murderous, bloodthirsty rampage. Callum Rowe has already killed hundreds of us. Maybe your neighbor, maybe even a family member. Callum Rowe has murdered countless numbers of my bravest men... D.U.P. soldiers who gave their lives to save yours. Don't let their sacrifice be in vain. Callum Rowe must be brought to justice.", Claudia's voice rang throughout the city, Callum shaking his head. "You've got it backwards, Claudia. These people have seen us both in action. If they want 'justice', it won't be MY head on the platter!", Callum yelled at the tower, before looking at the transformer that controlled the electric fences. "This is it, Cal. Once you shut the defenses down, there's no turning back. So what's the plan, Conduit? Gonna take her alive... show the world what she's done... or just kill her for what she did to Soren?", Callum asked himself, coming to his final decision.

"Okay lady, time for the world to see what you really are.", Callum said, gripping the lever and pulling it, shutting down the electric fences... or at least the bottom part. "Okay, I can work with that... even if the rest of it is still active.", Callum said, starting his assault by sniping a few DUPs with Neon Beams. Getting attacked by a sniper, Callum used Photon Jump to cross the gap and unleashed Radiant Sweep upon another group, subduing them all. Draining a smokestack, Callum used his only way up, a vent, to ascend. Popping out of another vent, Callum smoke dashed through another right in front of him and climb higher, launching of the export vent and using Smoke Thrusters to land on the next platform. It was there he ran into a problem: he couldn't reach the next platform and DUPs were attacking him from another building. That's when he got a call from... no, there was no way. "Hey, C. Saw a trail o' bodies ower i' Pioneer, thought o' ye an' followit thaim. Hope ye dinnae mind.", Rayla's voice said. Callum's eyes widened as he looked and saw the unmistakable glow of Rayla's neon afterimages as she ran around the side of the building the DUPs were on and ambushed them, drawing two elven blades that were charged with neon. Using her blades and her Radial Burst ability, Rayla jumped all the way up to Callum's platform. He must've had a dumbfounded look on his face as she chuckled when he saw her. "Happy tae see me?", Rayla asked, giving off her three-fingered sign. Callum shook his head and looked away, blushing. "I had that covered, you know.", Callum said, not wanting to mention that he was actually in a jam. "A know, but the hell ye did.", Rayla said, walking up to him and pulling Callum into a quick kiss. "So, does this mean that you're along for the ride?", Callum asked dumbly, Rayla giving him one of her looks. "Ye kidding? Ma two favorite people i' the world in a knock-down, drag-out? Wouldnae miss it for the world.", she said, blasting some concrete off a vent. "There ye gae, more smoke toys!", Rayla said, Callum launching off the vent as she dashed up and between a gap in the fences, Callum following her. The duo came to find more DUPs and started attacking them with their respective elements. Rayla pulled out her twin blades while Callum went to work with his chain, orange embers flicking off the chain as he spun it. Subduing the squad, Rayla zapped some more concrete off another vent, allowing Callum to launch from it and Smoke Dash to another part of the tower to climb as she ran up the side. "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...", Callum said to himself as he climbed, trying not to think how high he could fall. Rayla was already hard at work attacking another group that tried to fight them. "These guys are chumps! Give me somethin' bigger!", she shouted. Just then, Super Rook attacked them, shocking Rayla. "Okay... okay. Thon's bigger.", she said, eyes widening at the brute, who went down in seconds between the two Prime Conduits. Rayla found another vent for Callum to use and freed it, Callum launching ahead. Climbing up another part, Callum fired Cinder Missiles at the group of DUPs below, before Comet Dropping on top of them. Fighting through the bullets, Callum quickly defeated the annoying Bishop and Super Knights with Rayla's help. "Lookin' for that?", Rayla asked, pointing to another vent. "Rayla, you're a lifesaver.", Callum said, Smoke Dashing through it and shooting out the other side, landing on another platform. 

Callum heard the dreadful sound of chopper blades whirring and saw the spotlight of another chopper gazing at him. "Rayla, this'd be a good time for some back-up!", Callum yelled to the Neon Conduit, who hadn't joined him yet. Just then, both choppers got attacked as a massive dragon ripped the tail off one chopper and smashed the other with his wing. " **Ask and ye shall receive!** ", Zym's voiced boomed, Callum overjoyed at seeing the massive video dragon. "Ezran... man, you sure know how to level a playing field!", Callum yelled, attacking the DUPs that showed up to fight the dragon, only to get a fistful of smoke instead. " **It's good to have friends in high places.** ", Zym shouted, summoning a horde of dragons to attack the choppers that Ezran couldn't deal with. Soon, the night sky was light up with orange flames from Callum's smoke, pink-purple traces of neon from Rayla, and Ezran's video projections painted the tower blue with pixels. " **Succumb to the vengeance of my children!** ", Zym shouted. "Easy on the trash talk, Ezran!", Callum yelled, hoping that Ez wouldn't get too cocky and lose. "Hey, C. C'mere. Ye gotta come see this.", Rayla said as she fired a Neon Beam at an ammo cache, blowing it all to bits and knocking over a DUP who was dumb enough to stand next to it. Finding another vent, Callum launched off it and found two Pawns trying to surrender. "Well... smartest move I've seen all day.", Callum said, knocking them out. "Looks like it's time to pull out the new tricks.", Callum said to himself as he drained a screen from a satellite and used Phoenix Flight to launch to the roof of the tower, Rayla and Ezran joining him. "Looks like the whole roof is armor-plated.", Callum said as more DUPs climbed after them, Callum firing at them with Video Torrent. "Let me try the high-beams on it!", Rayla yelled, getting her powers ready. "Uh, sure you can cut through?", Callum asked, not sure if this idea would work. "Yeah... if ye an' Teen Dragon keep the DUPs aff ma ass!", Rayla yelled. " **Fear not, for I shall protect you!** ", Zym boomed, breathing fire upon choppers and sending dragons to attack some DUPs that were converging on Rayla and Callum. Callum fought back with everything he had, attacking them with a digital lance and shooting those he couldn't reach with Video Torrent. "How's it coming, Rayla?", Callum yelled, not sure how long he could hold this position. "Dinnae rush me, Callum! A dinnae like bein' rushed!", Rayla shot back, almost finished. "Got it! Aw yours, Callum. Ye gae inside a'n grab Claudia. Ezran an' A will keep these guys aff yer back.", Rayla said, giving Callum a look that told him to come back out alive. Callum gave her the thumbs up as he ran for the satellite. " **Go forth and enter the realm of Claudia! The lady and I will cover you.** ", Zym shouted as Callum launched into the air and shot back down with a Comet Drop, punching straight through the glass. 

Callum landed on the floor of a dark room and looked up to hear her voice. "Oh good, you're here.", she said as he stood up. "I've been watching you, Callum Rowe. Testing you as you assembled your little bag of tricks. Very impressive.", Claudia said patronizingly. "Yeah? And I know all about what you did too. Using Corvus to set up that crash, making Ezran and Rayla look like monsters just so you could look like a hero!", Callum yelled, now knowing all she has done. "Someone has to protect the Conduits.", Claudia said from the shadows. "'Protect'?", Callum questioned, her reason not reflecting her actions. "In the seven years since my D.U.P. took over Conduit oversight from the military, not a single one of 'our kind' has been killed.", Claudia said, coming into the light. "Of course not, 'cause you hunted them down and locked them up.", Callum growled, glaring at the woman. "Yes, in Curdun Cay. Protected from the mobs that want to kill all Conduits. It's what's best for them... whether they know it or not.", Claudia said, stone-faced. "So you just make that decision for them, huh?", Callum said. Claudia just shook her head, not expecting him to understand. "Some decisions are too important. I've seen how people look at you in the street. Do you know how rare it is for the 'Powerless' to embrace a Conduit? You've got to use that popularity, that trust to convince them the only solution to the 'Bio-Terrorist Menace' is my D.U.P. Did you know that over half the Conduits who died in the bloodbaths seven years ago were killed by the military? If they regain control, what makes you think things won't return to those 'good old days'?", Claudia said, leaving Callum a bit shocked. He thought about it and she might've had a point. But it wasn't fair to lock up those innocent people without the right to a fair trial. He's heard that those in Curdun Cay don't even get the rights of U.S. citizens. "No. No, I am going to expose you and your deception and then we're going to see who the real protector is.", Callum said in a low voice, Claudia backing up and glaring at him. "That would be a death sentence for all Conduits. I can't let you do that.", she said, forming her shields and platform. "And I won't let you stop me.", Callum said, readying his Video powers.

Callum shot some Bloodthirsty Blades at Claudia, but only one of them hit. Claudia was faster than last time, and she had some new tricks up her sleeve. She sent out a few attacks that acted as concrete buzzsaws rolling along the ground. Callum attempted to fight back with Video Torrent but the attack bounced off her shields and she tried to trap his ankles with concrete. After getting hit with some buzzsaws, Callum quickly drained a TV and shot another round of Bloodthirsty Blades, this time hitting his target and knocked her off her platform. Claudia tumbled through the air when Callum kicked her, but landed on her feet, skidding backward. Regaining herself, Claudia recharged her shield while Callum quickly tried to drain a TV. He succeeded but got hit by some boulders Claudia flung his way. Trying to relaliate, Callum fired a Bloodthirsty Blade marker at Claudia, not realizing that his ankles also got ensnared in her concrete. Using Phoenix Flight to escape, Callum shot more Bloodthirsty Blades at Claudia whilst she sent more buzzsaws at him. Both of their attacks hit their targets, but Callum shook his damages off and quickly ran up to Claudia and kicked her again, sending her flying. Claudia quickly regained herself as Callum ran for another TV and tried to trap him. Callum quickly noticed the concrete surround his legs and swooped out of the way, draining another TV. Jumping out of the way of a field of buzzsaws, Callum shot more Bloodthirsty Blades at the Concrete Queen, destroying her swirling shields as she shot several boulders at him. Callum shot Video Torrent at her, knocking her off her platform again and then kicked her to the center of the room. Channeling all his power, Callum used Dragonfire Swarm, calling down a massive swarm of dragons from the hole in the ceiling to rain down upon Claudia, knocking her to floor, defeated. "Okay, okay...", Claudia said, out of breath, holding a hand up. "You want my power?...", Claudia asked as Callum stomped over to her and grasped her hands with his, before reeling in pain as concrete surrounded both of their arms in a yellow glow. "...You got it.", Claudia said, as Callum painfully saw her memories. 

_Seven years ago, my unit, "Battlemages", was there to save lives from a new threat. Conduits. People with powers that no one understood. They had the power to kill... and the power to transform some of us into Conduits too. I found another survivor. She tailed me as I made my way back to the safety of my battalion. Together we traveled through a lawless city that wanted us dead because of what we now were. Everyday people joined the lynch mob, horrified by the thought of Conduits hiding among them. We'd hurt no one, but they could only see us as monsters. When military order finally reasserted itself... they treated us as the threat. I was Conduit, I was military... but I couldn't be both. So I made another option. It was the only way. By bringing in that first Conduit alive I'd gained the government's trust... And that was just the start. They funded the creation of the D.U.P. thinking we were just freaks hunting down other freaks... but that wasn't it. I was going to save as many Conduits as I could. If my kind were going to live... it'd be behind the walls of Curdun Cay._

The two Conduits came to on the floor of the News Station, both feeling aching pain. "Seven years I've kept them safe. Me! I won't let anyone undo that. Not the government... not the army... Not you.", Claudia said as she attempted to get back up. "Seven years, all you did is keep them locked up. You just took away their freedom.", Callum growled, not seeing the point of peace if those Conduits never had a choice. "So, tell me, what would you do? Just throw open the gates at Curdun Cay Station? Set them all free?", Claudia said, struggling to rise to her feet, having to lean on a piece of concrete for balance. "You bet your ass, I would.", Callum said, valuing freedom above anything else. "The world hasn't changed in the last seven years. Inside, the Conduits are safe. They're alive. You turn them out, they'd all be dead inside a week. So, tell me... Who's the savior and who's the monster?", Claudia said as Callum fell backward before he realized his mistake: absorbing her power. "This is what you wanted. You win, we both have the same power... The only difference is... I've had seven years to practice.", Claudia said, disappearing into a vortex of concrete as she formed a massive concrete spider-like monster to attack the powerless Conduit. All he could do is use a concrete lance and Callum doubted hand-to-hand combat would help against a giant monster. Callum started panicking when he noticed Zym through the window. "Uhh...Ezran! I need some help! I can't do anything! I need a Core Relay!", Callum shouted, hiding in a corner as Claudia tried to dig him out. " **Oh! Okay, Callum, I'll see what I can find. Just hang on!** ", Zym shouted. Callum saw Zym fly away when Claudia backed off, only to start running for his life as boulders the size of Callum himself started flying at the boy, causing the Conduit to run, duck, and jump to survive. Claudia began to crawl towards him again when Zym returned and punched in the window, raining glass into the room. " **Callum! Here!** ", Zym shouted, tossing the Core Relay into the room and hitting Claudia with it. "Thanks! See if you can find any more!", Callum shouted as Zym flew off again. Draining the Core Relay as Claudia's monster lay stunned, Callum gained a new ability. In the vision, Callum covered himself in concrete and ran forward, knocking over most things in his way. While not an offensive ability, it would allow him to avoid and tank more projectiles, such as the boulders Claudia fired at him. Testing the move out, Callum used Boulder Dash to move faster than he thought he should be able to. Claudia then transformed her monster into a massive concrete snake, similar to Onyx, and dove at Callum, who used Boulder Dash to outrun her. Reforming her spider monster, Claudia tried to catch Callum with her twin claws but failed due to Callum's new mobility. 

Zym arrived again with another Core Relay. " **Callum! Catch!** ", Zym yelled tossing the Core Relya into the room again, hitting Claudia. "I can't catch that!", Callum said, as the Core Relay slammed into the ground beside him. Draining the Core Relay, Callum saw himself firing a burst of concrete shards, able to take out a Pawn in a single burst. Now equipped with an offensive ability, Callum tested out Concrete Shrapnel on Claudia and found that while it might've been really good on foot soldiers, it did poorly against a 20-foot concrete spider monster. Regardless, Callum fired the bursts of concrete when he could and dashed around Claudia when she attacked, absorbing the floor's concrete when he needed a recharge. Zym returned yet again and tossed the Core Relay again, this time breaking Claudia's monster. " **Found another! I'll keep looking!** ", Zym shouted as Claudia tried to reform her monster. Callum drained the Relay as fast as he could. Inside the vision, Callum launched off the ground with a burst of concrete and used some concrete to swirl beneath him and keep him afloat. Callum had no time to think as Claudia transformed her monster in a stingray-like beast that swept the floor, forcing Callum to try his new ability. It saved him and he was able to shoot more shrapnel as he flew by. Zym returned again with another Core Relay. " **Callum! This was all I could find!** ", Zym shouted, unsure of what to do. "It probably won't be enough! I need something... wait.", Callum said, remembering that there was a Core Relay on the Concrete Island before it sank. "Go back to where the Concrete Island was! There might be something there!", Callum shouted as he drained the Core Relay. Inside the vision, Callum fired a powerful attack of five disk-shaped concrete projectiles, strong enough to blow up an APC. Callum fired them at Claudia's monster and while he did believe that it did a lot more damage than before, it probably still wasn't enough. He needed that last Core Relay. Callum went back and forth with Claudia, shooting Concrete Shrapnel and Concrete Barrage and dodging her claws, diving attacks, sweeps, and boulders. When Zym finally arrived, Callum felt immense joy when he saw the item in his claws. " **Here it is, Callum! Sorry that it took so long!** ", Zym shouted. Callum shook his head as the Core Relay crashed next to him. Draining it, Callum gained his last Concrete power. Gathering a massive boulder in his hands, Callum ran in front of Claudia and slammed the boulder into the ground, sending out a massive shockwave that ruptured the earth itself, destroying Claudia's monster and causing her to fall from its head. Rushing forward with Boulder Dash, Callum sent a wave of Concrete at Claudia, encasing her in her own power. Claudia's eyes widened in shock as her own power was used against her.  She couldn't believe it. "Yeah, I'm told that hurts.", Callum said with a smirk, using her own phrase.

_When the dust finally settled, all you could see of Claudia were her eyes peering out from that concrete shell. But the rage that had filled them moments earlier was now replaced by fear. We'd dismantled the fortress she'd built... The army she had raised... The future she had planned. And the entire world was about to know that she had failed. Taken down by an animal-loving gamer, a junkie-turned-assassin, and an artsy small town delinquent. The crowds cheered as Claudia was hauled away... Before all this, no one would have imagined human and elves AND Conduits of both could co-exist and now **I**  was the guy kicking off the Second Age. Oh, and those Conduits who'd spent years locked inside the walls of Curdun Cay? They were soon to be free once again. To live their own lives, to choose their own futures. As for me... I had gotten what I came for. And more. And now... Now I had a promise to keep._


	25. Dominance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil Karma chapter
> 
> Callum goes to the last bastion of the D.U.P to finally get his revenge, no matter who or what gets in his way.

Callum climbed to the top of a building and saw the Channel 5 News Tower out in the distance. It was time. He was going to get her concrete powers. He was going to expose her for all she's done. Nothing was going to stop him. "It's time to get what I came for, Claudia.", Callum said to himself. Draining a screen from a satellite, Callum used Phoenix Flight and launched off the satellite as Claudia's voice came over an intercom. "It's time. Citizens of Seattle, it's time to take back our city from those who seek to destroy it. Bio-Terrorists have no place on our streets. They must be locked away. Far from all from all decent, normal people. For the good of society.", Claudia said, filling Callum with contempt. "Well, she'd better hurry, before there are no 'decent normal people' left to protect from me.", Callum yelled from the rooftops, watching as the people below scurried either in fear or in anger. "She's right, we need to take back our city from the Bio-Terrorist freaks!", someone below said. "How can we help? What can we do?", another cried. "She's right, this is OUR city! We need to take it back!", an elf yelled. "Claudia is doing all she can again the Bio-Terrorist invaders!", someone shouted. Callum ignored them, not caring what anyone said about him. He was going to get his revenge if it kills him. And he was taking as many DUPs with him as he could. 

"People of Seattle, it has come to my attention that the Bio-Terrorist, Callum Rowe, has begun another rampage. His past terror sprees have resulted in the deaths of hundreds of loyal D.U.P. guardians and our fellow Seattleites.", Claudia said, sounding almost sad. It brought a smirk to Callum's face as he walked up to a broken bridge to find a rally against him. "Claudia's right. The Rowe is the worst of them all!", someone shouted. "We have to stop him before he kills again!", another cried. As if. "There he is, the Bio-freak Rowe!", another human yelled, pointing right at him. "You're not leaving this city alive!", a woman said. Callum simply walked up to her and slashed her with his digital claws. Other attempted to attack Callum, but they all got gunned down by Callum's Video Torrent. Using Predator Advantage to turn invisible, Callum summoned three video demons to attack the DUPs while he snuck around them. He needed to get to Claudia's tower as fast as possible. Launching from a satellite, Callum soared across the gargantuan gap between the islands and landed on the other side, encountering another rally. The people there were ravenous for Callum's blood and it flattered him to know how popular he'd gotten. "You and that Moonshadow bitch killed my brother at a peaceful LifeLine gathering!", a Sunfire elf screamed at him, pushing against the DUPs that were holding them back. "It's the truth. Rowe killed my friend in a tunnel who was just trying to help some fellow motorists!", a human yelled. Callum simply fired a Blade Storm into the crowd, killing almost everyone. Those who did not die fled. But more people came out of the woodwork to try and attack Callum. It was like he was a bottle of water in an arid desert. "It's our duty to get Rowe... to honor all those fallen D.U.P. heroes!", an elf yelled as he dove for Callum, only to get creamed. "There he is, the one who destroyed my family's boat!", another screamed. Funnily enough, Callum didn't remember destroying any boats. "My friend asked for your help, but you ignored her. She's still locked in that goddamn cage!", a human yelled swinging at Callum with a bat, to which Callum responded with a claw attack. "Murderer! I saw you kill a DUP who was pleading for his life!", a woman screamed as Callum sent a demon after her. "Good people of Seattle, I implore you... do not allow Callum Rowe to continue his murderous, bloodthirsty rampage. Callum Rowe has already killed hundreds of us. Maybe your neighbor, maybe even a family member. Callum Rowe has murdered countless numbers of my bravest men... D.U.P. soldiers who gave their lives to save yours. Don't let their sacrifice be in vain. Callum Rowe must be brought to justice.", Claudia's voice rang throughout the city, Callum shaking his head. "You want to save these people, Claudia? You want 'justice'? You're gonna have to stop me first. Oh, and by the way... good luck with that!", Callum yelled at the tower, hoping that Claudia could hear him.

* * *

 

"Looks like it's time to pull out the new tricks.", Callum said to himself as he drained a screen from a satellite and used Phoenix Flight to launch to the roof of the tower, Rayla and Ezran joining him. "Looks like the whole roof is armor-plated.", Callum said as more DUPs climbed after them, Callum firing at them with Video Torrent. "Let me try the high-beams on it!", Rayla yelled, getting her powers ready. "Uh, sure you can cut through?", Callum asked, not sure if this idea would work. "Yeah... if ye an' Teen Dragon keep the DUPs aff ma ass!", Rayla yelled. " **Fear not, for I shall protect you!** ", Zym boomed, breathing fire upon choppers and sending dragons to attack some DUPs that were converging on Rayla and Callum. Callum fought back with everything he had, attacking them with his digital claws and shooting those he couldn't reach with Video Torrent, obliterating every foe. "How's it coming, Rayla?", Callum yelled, not sure how long he could hold this position. "Dinnae rush me, Callum! A dinnae like bein' rushed!", Rayla shot back, almost finished. "Got it! Aw yours, Callum. Ye gae inside a'n grab Claudia. Ezran an' A will keep these guys aff yer back.", Rayla said, giving Callum a look that told him to come back out alive. Callum gave her the thumbs up as he ran for the satellite. " **Go forth and enter the realm of Claudia! The lady and I will cover you.** ", Zym shouted as Callum launched into the air and shot back down with a Comet Drop, punching straight through the glass. 

Callum landed on the floor and found his target, the woman responsible for all of his pain. "So... any trouble finding the place?", Claudia said sarcastically with a smug expression. "I know all about what you did. Using Corvus to set up the crash, making Ezran and Rayla look like monsters to scare the shit outta the city. All so you could swoop in and be the hero.", Callum said, glaring at Claudia. "I did what I had to... to protect Conduits.", Claudia said, her smug look gone. "'Protect'? You hunt them down, you lock them up, and you train them to kill!", Callum yelled, knowing that Claudia herself trained Rayla to be lethal. "I need Rayla and Ezran to be monsters because, without monsters, the monster hunters go out of business.", Claudia said, Callum nodding his head, the evidence making more sense. "So that's what this is all about, huh? Job security?", Callum accused, Claudia shaking her head at Callum's persistent naivete. "And you almost derailed the whole operation. Luckily, you turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. You hear them out there? They want your head.", Claudia said, getting in Callum's face. She chuckled as she continued her speech, "And once the world sees the head of the D.U.P. saving them from the biggest Bio-Terrorist threat of the last seven years... Your death will buy my D.U.P. at least 20 more years of funding. I am so glad we met when we did.", Claudia said, backing up and signaling for hidden cameras to be activated. Callum simply chuckled at her ideas. "Don't be.", he growled, cracking his neck. "Oh no. Are you going to kill me now?", Claudia said mockingly, wearing a smug look again. "You're goddamn right, I am.", Callum said, readying his video powers. 

* * *

Zym arrived again with another Core Relay. " **Callum! Catch!** ", Zym yelled tossing the Core Relya into the room again, hitting Claudia. "I can't catch that!", Callum said, as the Core Relay slammed into the ground beside him. Draining the Core Relay, Callum saw himself firing a burst of concrete shards, able to take out a Pawn in a single burst. Now equipped with an offensive ability, Callum tested out Concrete Shrapnel on Claudia and found that while it might've been really good on foot soldiers, it did poorly against a 20-foot concrete spider monster. Regardless, Callum fired the bursts of concrete when he could and dashed around Claudia when she attacked, absorbing the floor's concrete when he needed a recharge. Zym returned yet again and tossed the Core Relay again, this time breaking Claudia's monster. " **Found another! I'll keep looking!** ", Zym shouted as Claudia tried to reform her monster. Callum drained the Relay as fast as he could. Inside the vision, Callum launched off the ground with a burst of concrete and used some concrete to swirl beneath him and keep him afloat. Callum had no time to think as Claudia transformed her monster in a stingray-like beast that swept the floor, forcing Callum to try his new ability. It saved him and he was able to shoot more shrapnel as he flew by. Zym returned again with another Core Relay. " **Callum! This was all I could find!** ", Zym shouted, unsure of what to do. "It probably won't be enough! I need something... wait.", Callum said, remembering that there was a Core Relay on the Concrete Island before it sank. "Go back to where the Concrete Island was! There might be something there!", Callum shouted as he drained the Core Relay. Inside the vision, Callum fired a powerful attack of five disk-shaped concrete projectiles, strong enough to blow up an APC. Callum fired them at Claudia's monster and while he did believe that it did a lot more damage than before, it probably still wasn't enough. He needed that last Core Relay. Callum went back and forth with Claudia, shooting Concrete Shrapnel and Concrete Barrage and dodging her claws, diving attacks, sweeps, and boulders. When Zym finally arrived, Callum felt immense joy when he saw the item in his claws. " **Here it is, Callum! Sorry that it took so long!** ", Zym shouted. Callum shook his head as the Core Relay crashed next to him. Draining it, Callum gained his last Concrete power. Gathering a massive boulder in his hands, Callum ran in front of Claudia and slammed the boulder into the ground, sending out a massive shockwave that ruptured the earth itself, destroying Claudia's monster and causing her to fall from its head. Rushing forward with Boulder Dash, Callum sent a wave of Concrete at Claudia, encasing her in her own power. Claudia's eyes widened in shock as her own power was used against her. She couldn't believe it. "Yeah, I'm told that hurts.", Callum said with a smirk, using her own phrase.

_Claudia had come to Seattle with a plan... To spread fear, panic, chaos... Make herself out to be a hero. But her plan was soon **shattered...**  By "monsters" she had made... Rayla, Ezran... and me. For two weeks Claudia controlled Seattle... Now it was our turn... Who the hell was going to stop us? Oh, and the hundreds of Conduits Claudia had locked away at Curdun Cay Station? I'm going to shake each and every one of their hands on their way out the door. So many different powers... all in one place. I'll be the kid in the candy store. But first... I had a promise to take care of._


	26. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good Karma epilogue
> 
> Callum returns to Katolis to finally heal, both his family and friends and emotionally.

Amaya woke as she felt someone touch her. Cracking her eyes, she saw her nephew and read his lips as he spoke. "Aunt Amaya...", he said, her eyes now fully open. She couldn't help but smile at Callum's new attire. He looked very handsome and heroic. At least that's what the news reports Gren kept telling her about said. "Callum... you're here.", Amaya signed, smiling at her nephew but wincing as she felt the concrete in her legs again. Callum did nothing but smile as Amaya took notice of the yellow glow on Callum's face. His head turned to her leg, which his hand was on, and Amaya's jaw dropped as she could feel her leg finally free of the slow pain of the concrete. "It's gone.", Amaya said, too shocked to use her hands. "Yeah.", Callum simply said as Amaya broke into emotional laughter, accidentally waking up some of the other Katolians in the room. "They're all gone.", she signed, happier than Lady Justice in a Supreme Court case. "A promise is a promise, right?", Callum said, looking at his aunt with joy. Amaya smiled at him again before she looked further into the Lodge. "And Gren and the others?", Amaya signed, wondering if they had been healed yet. "I just got here. You're my first stop.", Callum signed back, earning yet another happy look from his aunt. Who sat up and brought Callum into a hug. "You saved me, Callum Rowe.", Amaya said, earning another grin from Callum. "This is Katolis, we take care of our own, right?", Callum said, pulling out of the hug to see Amaya almost in tears. "He's so much like his mother...", Amaya thought sniffling a bit and wiping her eyes, as she noticed that something... or someone is missing. "Where's Soren?", Amaya signed, looking around for her "understudy", as Gren would put it. Callum look did not reflect Amaya's beaming happiness and she realized that something went wrong. Amaya's face faltered a bit before Callum started talking again. "Soren...", he started trying to think of some words to say. He didn't want to mourn Soren's death. He wanted to celebrate his life. And he thought of something to say before he went to heal everyone else. 

"Soren saved me."

Rayla and Ezran must've followed Callum as he got a knock on the Lodge door and the two Conduits tackle-hugged him. Callum introduced the two to his aunt and Gren, who got along swimming with Ezran. Callum saw Viren and felt terrible. Viren probably never got a chance to say goodbye. Grabbing his spray cans, Callum whispered something into Rayla's ear and set off for the fish cannery.

An hour later, Viren was being walked, blindfolded, by Rayla who lead him down to the fish cannery. Being instructed to take off the blindfold, Viren removed the cloth and found Callum at the billboard of his son that was vandalized two weeks ago. Now, instead of a goofy expression, Callum had painted a beautiful mural, celebrating Soren's life. Callum himself took one last look at his hardest project yet and was nearly in tears when he finished. "I love you brother.", Callum said as he spun the paint can in his hand. "And I am sure going to miss you."

Callum put the spray can down as he left the roof and Viren instead took his place. Viren's breath was taken away as he gazed upon the beautiful picture. A picture of Soren on the right in front of a police badge with some eagle wings on the right, a picture of Viren and Soren from the latter's police academy graduation on the left. And in the center, a picture of Seattle with a ribbon underlying the Space Needle. It said, "In loving memory of Soren Taylor."


	27. Rebellion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evil Karma epilogue
> 
> Callum returns to the Bather Lodge, only to encounter opposition.

Callum finally arrived back home and went straight to the Banther Lodge, running up the porch steps. "Hey, Katolis nation! Local hero's back home!", Callum yelled as he opened the front door. What he found next was not expected. Aunt Amaya, in a wheelchair. "There she is. Whoa, whoa! Slow down.", Callum said, as Amaya wheeled up to him, nearly running his toes over. "Came back to save the day.", Callum said, hoping to get a smile out of his aunt. Nothing worked. She wore the same stony expression she usually did. Callum wondered if she didn't like his new look. Whatever, he loved it. "The TV news showed everything. It showed... everything.", Amaya signed to him, Callum's smile becoming a shocked look. He didn't think she'd care to look at that. Before he could try to explain, Amaya was shouting at him with her voice. "I saw you kill dozens of innocent people!", she accused, shameful of her nephew. "What did you want me to do? I wasn't going to let anybody or anything stop me from getting back to you. To save everybody! This is Katolis. We take care of our own, right?", Callum said, causing Amaya to grip her chair with white knuckles. Using all her strength, Amaya pushed herself to her feet to see Callum at eye level. "Hey, hey, take it easy.", Callum said, hearing Amaya grunt in pain, but shutting up when he saw the look of repressed anger on her face. "You have disgraced our people, you have disgraced your ancestors and you have disgraced the memory of your step-brother. You are of Katolis, no longer.", Amaya signed at him, Callum's eyes twitching as she "spoke". Callum was stunned for a second before deciding to word his next sentence carefully so she could understand. "You... and everybody else will die without me. Or have you forgotten that?", Callum said in a low voice, holding in his anger as best he could in the face of this betrayal. "We haven't forgotten. And we will never forget.", Amaya said before she slowly slammed the door in Callum's face. 

Callum tried to yank the door back open, but Amaya must've locked it. Callum felt a hole in his heart. Rather than accept his help, Amaya would die painfully and slowly? It made no sense. And now, this whole journey has been for nothing...

Unless...

Callum realized that this was the only way to save them. They would thank him for this, in the end. Charging large plumes of smoke from his hands, Callum disintegrated and launched into the skies above the Banther Lodge, painting the sky red with his fire. He reformed and realized there was no turning back. Backflipping, Callum shot down and used his Smoke Thrusters. He collided with the roof and...

 

It's said that all that's left of the Banther Lodge today is a scorch mark, in the shape of a vulture's skull. And that there was only one man who walked away.


End file.
